In order to maintain destination presence across the German speaking markets, Visit Maldives has successfully concluded a joint webinar with Qatar Airways. The webinar educated travel trade on the destination and provided the latest information regarding resumption of Qatar Airways flight routes to Maldives via Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

407 top travel agents and tour operators from the aforementioned markets attended the webinar. The information provided to the travel trade highlighted that the Maldives is one of the safest destinations to travel during this time due to the unique geographic isolation of the islands, the one island one resort together with the stringent health and safety protocols in place. Additionally, information on latest travel updates, including entry requirements, departure and arrival procedures were shared with the participants. Representatives from Qatar Airways presented connectivity details between the market and destination, highlighting both direct flight routes and stop over connections.

A raffle draw was conducted among the participants of the webinar. The prize, sponsored by Baglioni Resort Maldives included a holiday for 2 people for 5 days on an all-inclusive basis. Representatives from the resort presented an overview of the current promotions and regulations at their 5-star property, which won accolades for Luxury Ocean View Resort in the 2020 World Luxury Hotel Awards.

The webinar concluded with a Q&A session. Common queries included travel regulations, status of open resorts, and PCR testing procedures which indicated a keen interest amongst participants towards traveling to the Maldives.

3,390 visitors from Germany, 1,958 from Switzerland and 1,177 from Austria arrived in Maldives in January 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.

Several activities have been conducted to boost these figures, including publications in a popular bridal website in Germany that served to market the romantic side of life for couples and  honeymooners. Additionally, virtual events have been conducted for travel trade to provide the latest information on the destination. 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.

Activities in the pipeline for these markets include media FAM trips, joint campaigns with airlines and tour operators, outdoor campaigns and digital campaigns. In addition to activities conducted in German speaking markets, Visit Maldives is also actively promoting the destination in other key markets with global campaigns, fairs, roadshows and joint campaigns with other airlines and top tour operators in key markets.