Visit Maldives takes part in the virtual event organised by Aviareps from 09th - 10th February 2021 as part of promoting the destination within the German speaking markets. Around 600 participants are expected to visit the two-day event which is designed to connect with travel trade partners from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Extensive market coverage and a variety of partners are reached through one event space.

Exhibitors include tour operators, airlines and shipping companies from this region along with 12 other global destinations. Venue exhibitors and attendees can have an interactive experience via avatars by chatting or moving around to areas of interest.

Maldives will be promoted as a safe haven throughout the two days by emphasising on the unique geographical formation of scattered islands and safety measures carried out during the current situation. One-on-one meetings with travel trade will be carried out by Visit Maldives to provide general information on the destination as well as the travel guidelines. Destination awareness within the German speaking markets will be increased through this event as it directly reaches the travel trade from this region.

The event further presents an opportunity to increase ambient brand presence as the German speaking markets have always been traditional source markets of tourist arrivals to the Maldives. For the year 2021, several activities are planned to achieve the target of pre-pandemic arrivals, amongst them which includes joint campaigns with leading tour operators and airlines, digital media campaigns and visibility campaigns. Visit Maldives will also be taking part in ITB Berlin, one of the world’s leading trade shows which will be virtually held in March this year. The use of German language-focused activities are also in the works to promote Maldives as the most preferred tourist destination within this market.

Additionally, the Maldives Border Miles program was launched on 01st January 2021 by Maldives Immigration as the world’s first tier-based travel loyalty programme. It is expected to provide a considerable boost for the Maldives tourism and an added advantage when promoting the destination. Tourists are also eligible for the “Allied Inbound” package launched by Allied Insurance Company in association with the Ministry of Tourism. The package consists of two options which covers medical charges, isolation facility charges, emergency medical transportation charges and interment charges following a positive diagnosis for COVID-19 of a tourist during their stay in Maldives.

The arrivals continue to increase even during the ongoing pandemic with resumption of direct connectivities from airlines such as Edelweiss, Austrian airlines, Condor and Lufthansa. In 2020, Germany ranked as the 5th market of source arrivals with 36,435 tourists, Switzerland ranked as the 9th market of source arrivals with 12,517 tourists and Austria ranked as the 12th market of source arrivals with 8,103 tourists.