Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) has participated in the Riyadh Travel Fair (RTF) to market the destination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Alongside MMPRC, there were 26 participants representing 15 companies taking part in the fair held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 22-24 May 2023.  MMPRC’s participation in this event was to strengthen brand presence in the KSA market, achieve growth in arrivals, promote halal tourism, and target affluent travellers in the Middle East luxury segment. 

RTF 2023 is considered a significant annual event in which leading travel and tourism companies gather with exhibitors representing tourist promotion authorities and tourists companies at the Arab and international levels. RTF is a market for the introduction of tourist products, services, and investments provided by the most significant tourist companies in the world. Corporate travel decision makers, investors, tour operators, travel agents representing VIP clients, and other industry professionals take part in this event every year. 

The Maldives stand provided visitors with a glimpse into the breathtaking Sunny Side of Life. The stand was thoughtfully curated to showcase the diverse segments of the Maldives' tourism industry, including luxury travel, family holidays, adventure holidays, halal travel, and cultural experiences. The vibrant and colourful stand featured a range of unique experiences, including  a special raffle giveaway with a consumer quiz, cultural experiences such as a Dhivehi Calligraphy Corner, and gastronomy experiences that offered visitors a chance to sample Maldivian delicacies such as kulhi kaajaa, addu bondi, and theluli bambukeyo. 

Through this event, we aimed to market the Maldives as the World’s Leading Destination and promote the unique products, experiences and segments of the Sunny Side of Life. Participating in RTF 2023 allowed us to market our tourism products, namely resorts, guesthouses, liveaboards, and hotels, as well as the unique services and experiences available in our destination for travellers. Through this fair, MMPRC and our industry partners were able to share the latest travel guidelines and information about the destination with the travel trade and travellers from this market and around the world. Furthermore, the fair provided an amazing opportunity for our industry partners to connect with the Middle Eastern travel trade and establish new business relations. Participation in the Riyadh Travel Fair came as part of the marketing strategies of MMPRC for the Middle Eastern market, based on conducting campaigns to increase the reach, bookings and arrivals from the region. 

As of 30th April 2023, Maldives has welcomed 23,453 tourists from the Middle Eastern market with Saudi Arabia ranking as the top 19th market to Maldives. MMPRC has planned several activities targeting the Middle East market under the effort to maintain destination visibility and increase arrivals. This includes joint-marketing campaigns; informative webinars; participation in major fairs and exhibitions; and hosting roadshows and familiarisation trips.