Visit Maldives has commenced an e-learning programme with FVW Akademie targeting the travel trade of the German speaking markets today. FVW is one of the leading media channels for the travel industry in this region.

The programme will take place from June till November 2021 and will educate the participants by showcasing the Maldives as a safe destination, information on the products, travel guidelines and the latest updates of the current situation. Approximately 400 attendees are expected to take part in this 5-month programme. Additionally, to enhance the visibility of the destination, Maldives will also be featured in two monthly newsletters of FVW with a raffle draw sponsored by Nakai Dhiggiri Resort at the end of the programme to incentivise participation.

This campaign with FVW e-learning is in line with Visit Maldives strategy to strengthen the destination brand as well as the focused promotion of individual products and experiences. Several other activities are also in the pipeline to further promote the destination in Germany. These include joint promotions with airlines and tour operators, print and digital advertisements and several more collaborations with media and key stakeholders in the market. Visit Maldives also participated in the virtual edition of ITB Berlin held this March, one of the leading travel and trade shows in the world. Currently, a year-long campaign with Connoisseur Circle is also ongoing targeting the luxury segment in the German speaking countries.

Germany has remained strong with it being placed at the 3rd rank in terms of top tourist arrivals to Maldives based on figures published on 16th June 2021 even when arrival numbers plummeted this year due to the ongoing pandemic. Notably, 23,883 visitors from Germany had visited Maldives till date. The hope of Visit Maldives is to continue this momentum and reach pre-pandemic levels as well as increase the number of arrivals exponentially from this market. Promotional activities such as joint campaigns with stakeholders, media campaigns, roadshows, fairs and digital promotions are also carried out for several other markets.

On 1st February 2021, Maldives initiated the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the government aims to provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all citizens and residents of Maldives in the upcoming months. In this regard, the Ministry of Tourism also launched an initiative to vaccinate people in the tourism sector to develop an even safer scenario for the industry. As of 20th June 2021,, 315,282 people in the Maldives have received the first dose of the vaccine with 183,373 receiving the second dose. Over 90% of the workers in the tourism industry of the Maldives have also been administered the first dose of the vaccine.

On 28th April 2021, Visit Maldives together with the Ministry of Tourism launched the "I'm Vaccinated" campaign in order to share a positive message regarding the vaccination of staff working in the tourism sector as well as promoting the initiatives undertaken to ensure the Maldives remains one of the safest destinations in the world for travelers.