Visit Maldives has launched a month-long joint campaign with Palm Tour starting July 2021 in order to strengthen brand presence and promote the honeymoon segment in the South Korean market. The campaign consists of online promotional activities and promotion of Maldives in a physical honeymoon event.

Palm Tour is the leading honeymoon agency for overseas travel in South Korea. Palm Tour offers a wide range of Maldives products with various flight and resort options handling 21,000 couples overseas honeymoon tours annually.

As part of the online promotional activities, Maldives will be featured in the Palm Tour website's promotion main banner with redirects towards Visit Maldives South Korean social media accounts as well. Palm Tours will also utilize keyword ads across all content, send out press releases and newsletters promoting Maldives as the most romantic destination for honeymoons.

Additionally, Palm Tours will post content on their social media and blog, promoting the sought-after products of Maldives (resorts, guesthouse, liveaboard, hotels) and the unique experiences specific to couples. A romantic couples massage in an underwater spa, staying aboard a private water-villa, and sleeping under the equatorial night sky in a secluded bubble tent are amongst some of the uniquely-Maldivian experiences that will be promoted by Palm Tours.

Palm Tours will also showcase the prestigious Maldivian products and romantic experiences for honeymoons during a honeymoon event held on 22nd to 23rd August 2021. A separate exclusive space will be held during the event for Maldives highlighting Maldives as one of the safest destinations due to the geographically scattered islands and the stringent measures in place. Through this 2 day event an estimated 80 bookings will be generated.

During the event, Palm Tours will distribute a destination brochure to all event visitors which highlights the products, experiences, arrival procedure, and the latest travel guidelines. The regulation that travelers who have been vaccinated overseas against COVID-19 are exempted from the mandatory two-week quarantine upon arrival in South Korea will be highlighted. In order to attract visitors to the Maldivian stand, a raffle will be held during the events for a free holiday in the Maldives sponsored by the Hard Rock Hotel Maldives and The Residence Maldives.

Visit Maldives’ strategy for the South Korean market consists of taking part in social media campaigns on all local social media platforms, taking part in travel fairs, and focused advertising and promotion of Maldives tourism products and unique experiences. Therefore, the campaign with Palm Tour is carried out in accordance with Visit Maldives’ strategy for the South Korean market.

Targeting the South Korean market, Visit Maldives have concluded a successful virtual roadshow and webinar. Marketing campaigns to promote Maldives as a top of the mind destination in the South Korean market include a digital and social media campaign, ongoing print-media advertising campaign, an ambient outdoor campaign, joint promotion with airlines and local OTA’s & honeymoon agencies as well as media and celebrity influencer familiarization trips.

As a result of the border closures and travel restrictions amongst the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant drop in the number of arrivals from South Korea. Prior to the pandemic, South Korea was an emerging top source market in terms of arrivals to the Maldives. In 2019, Maldives recorded 36,609 arrivals from South Korea ranking the market as the 12th top source market to Maldives.