Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) is taking part in the TTG Travel Experience 2022 to market the destination in the Italian market. TTG 2022 is being held in Rimini, Italy, from 12-14th October 2022 with 22 industry partners taking part alongside MMPRC. Our participation in this leading fair will help maintain destination presence in the Italian market and provide countless promotional and networking opportunities for the Maldives tourism industry stakeholders.

TTG Travel Experience, organised by the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), is one of the leading B2B fairs to sell tourism products. They offer the chance to network, make new contracts, and exchange views and ideas. The fair provides the biggest platform in Italy where tourism exhibitors can connect, negotiate, and network with all the main Italian travel agencies, tour operators, and other tourism professionals.

Through this event, we aim to market the destination’s safety and promote the unique geography of our scattered islands, which provides visitors with ultimate safety and privacy. Furthermore, this event will help us market our tourism products, namely resorts, guesthouses, liveaboards, hotels and the unique services and experiences available in our destination for tourists. Through this fair, MMPRC and our industry partners will be able to share the latest travel guidelines and information about the destination for the travel trade and travellers from this market and around the world.

The Italian market is traditionally strong, being the third top source market in 2019. Italian travellers were also the first group of tourists that arrived in the Maldives over 50 years ago. Our marketing activities in Italy capitalise on the generational affinity that Italians have for the Maldives, reminiscing on the memories of parents and grandparents who have spent their holiday in the Maldives. There has been significant growth with ease of travel restrictions in Italy following the pandemic. As of 10th October 2022, the Maldives has welcomed 70,943 tourists from Italy placing Italy as the top 5th source market. The Maldives has seen over 1,237,664 tourists in total this year so far.

MMPRC has conducted several high-profile activities for the Italian market this year including campaigns with Lonely Planet, Alpitour, Sporting Vacanze, Bluvacanze, and Mediamond. We have also taken part in BIT Milan 2022 to promote the Maldives in the Italian market. Ongoing campaigns include a campaign with Turismo & Attualità and Green Me, and further social media campaigns are planned for the rest of the year.

MMPRC carried out 260 different marketing activities in 22 global markets last year, including fairs, roadshows, familiarisation trips, marketing campaigns, webinars, and interviews. The greatest testament to the success of these activities came late last year, as the Maldives secured the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ (among several other accolades) at the 2021 World Travel Awards, globally recognised as the hallmark of industry excellence. This is the second consecutive year that the Maldives had successfully earned this prestigious title, a shining testimony of the trust placed in the ‘magic of Maldivian hospitality’ by travellers from all over the globe.