News
Visit Maldives commences year-long campaign with Connoisseur Circle targeting German speaking markets
Visit Maldives commences a year-long campaign with Connoisseur Circle - an exclusive magazine for
luxury hotels and destinations worldwide targeting an elite audience of travel enthusiasts in Germany,
Switzerland and Austria.
The campaign will use a multitude of platforms in both the online and offline channels of the publication
in order to promote the Maldives as a safe haven and uplift the destination presence for the luxury market.
The components of the campaign are distributed throughout the year which includes, advertorials in the
print magazine, editorial stories in e-magazines, posts and promotional clips on social media, website
banner display and features in newsletters.
Maldives is also nominated as the Best Luxury Destination
for the Year by the Hospitality Awards organised by Connoisseur Circle. Over 30,000 consumers are
reached through the online channels with 43,500 users on their social media platforms. Additionally,
47,000 copies in Germany, 9,000 copies in Switzerland and 25,000 copies in Austria are circulated
reaching many high-income earners.
7,386 visitors from Germany, 5,189 from Switzerland and 2,235 from Austria arrived in Maldives till
February 2021. Though these figures are low compared to figures of 2020, due to ongoing travel
restrictions, their market contributions are significant, with Germany holding a market ranking of 7
whereas Switzerland and Austria rank at 10 and 13 respectively.
The campaign with Connoisseur Circle is part of Visit Maldives’ strategy in promoting the Maldives to the
German speaking markets through ambient advertising along with usage of German language on social
media platforms. Similarly, several campaigns are underway to further promote the destination in these
markets.
These include several B2B and B2C activities like Joint promotions with Airlines and Tour
Operators, destination training and several more collaborations with media and key stakeholders in the
market. Visit Maldives also participated in ITB Berlin held this March, one of the leading travel and trade
shows in the world. Throughout the 4-day virtual fair, a variety of networking events were carried out and
provided a platform to strengthen destination presence and promote the Maldives as a safe haven.
Despite the global pandemic, Maldives has welcomed a total of 555,494 travelers in 2020 and over
190,000 travellers till February 2021. Amongst the many activities planned for the remainder of the year
includes, social media campaigns, joint marketing campaigns with global stakeholders, familiarization
trips and visibility campaigns. Several marketing activities and strategies have also been shifted to digital
platforms in order to promote the destination whilst adapting to the evolving situation.
The administration of the covid-19 vaccine was initiated on 1st February 2021 with the government of
Maldives aiming to provide free covid-19 vaccines to all citizens and residents of the country in the
upcoming months. As of 15th April 2021, 277،522 people in the Maldives have received the first dose of the vaccine
with 34,531 receiving the second dose. 90% of the workers in the tourism industry of the Maldives have
also been administered the first dose of the vaccine. The initiation of the vaccination drive is bound to
offer hope to the local population, as well as ensure the safety of tourists.