Visit Maldives along with The Ministry of Tourism, and the Guesthouse Association of Maldives takes part in an Exclusive Webinar on Maldives Tourism in Post-Covid Recovery hosted by the Maldives Embassy in Japan and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives. Along with stakeholders from Maldives, major travel industry partners joined the webinar held on 22nd June.

The webinar was held on the virtual event management platform of Visit Maldives ‘My Virtual Maldives’. This platform is designed to amplify audience engagement and networking by connecting attendees from across the globe through virtual exhibitions, roadshows, webinars to training and live marketing events targeting the travel trade and consumers alike.

During this event, Visit Maldives aimed to increase brand awareness, destination visibility as well as reassure Japanese travellers that Maldives will remain as one of the safest destinations to travel when the border reopens for international leisure travel in the Japan Market.

“It is my deepest wish for Japanese travelers to visit Maldives once again and experience the sunny side of life. With vaccination campaigns being conducted across both our nations and with ease of travel restrictions, I am confident that we will once again welcome Japanese travelers to our sandy white beaches and crystal clear turquoise waters.” Stated Thoyyib Mohamed, the Managing Director of Visit Maldives, during the Exclusive Discussion Forum on Tourism.

During the webinar, Visit Maldives presented a destination video in Japanese language showcasing the breathtaking beauty of the Maldives, the four tourism products (resorts, guesthouse, liveaboards, hotels) and the unique experiences offered in Maldives. In addition, the safety provided by the natural socially-distanced unique geography of the Maldives was also highlighted in the video to promote Maldives as a safe haven for travelers in the Japanese market.

In 2019, a total of 44,251 travelers arrived from the Japanese market ranking Japan as the 9th top source market for Maldivian tourism. The Japanese border is currently closed for international leisure travel and therefore the Maldives have witnessed an incremental drop in the number of travelers arriving from Japan.

In addition to the video presentation, Visit Maldives distributed a travel guidelines brochure in Japanese language providing comprehensive information on the products and experiences in Maldives and the latest travel guidelines. The travel guidelines consist of information required before departure to Maldives, on arrival to Maldives and departure from Maldives with a highlight on Maldives Border Miles, Allied Inbound Maldives COVID19 insurance plan, the recently launched ‘I’m Vaccinated’ campaign as well as the latest flight connectivity details.

Therefore, Visit Maldives aims to maintain destination presence and place Maldives as the top choice destination to travel to as soon as the Japanese borders open for international travel. Activities in the pipeline for the Japanese market include media and celebrity familiarization trips, Social media campaigns, Joint promotion with Tabi Muse and taking part in Tourism Expo Japan (JATA).

Maldives reopened its borders for tourists of all nationalities on 15th July 2020, with rigorous procedures in place to ensure the safety of tourists and tourism workers. Tourists are required to fill an online health declaration form within 24 hours prior to their departure, as well as have a negative PCR test result, conducted 96 hours prior to their departure

The administration of the COVID-19 vaccine was initiated on 1st February 2021 with the government of Maldives set to provide free COVID-19 vaccines to all citizens and residents of the country in the upcoming months. 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. The ultimate target is to make Maldives the destination with the first fully vaccinated tourism sector in the world.