11 Years of MMPRC
Thursday 4th of March 2021
Stories have been told about how Maldives has emerged as a brave destination that broke norms during a global pandemic. We were among the first destinations in the world open borders and welcome tourists amidst the peak of never before predicted circumstances. On the occasion of the 11th anniversary of Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation today, it seems fitting to reflect back on the achievements of the organization in promoting Maldives beyond the ‘sun, sand and sea’.
MMPRC is the national tourism board of Maldives whose mission is to ensure quality and sustainable growth of the largest revenue generating industry in the country. When unprecedented times quickly overshadowed the success of achieving over 1.5 million tourist arrivals of 2019, MMPRC had to get creative and work on more than just a well-established reputation of a desirable tropical holiday destination.
When dawn broke with news of an unknown virus spreading like wildfire in the beginning of 2020, concerns were raised in the MMPRC team that brought them to an alert. The team was already celebrating unique promotions inspired by the highest tourist arrival numbers yet from the previous year in partnership with high profile networks throughout the world in order to achieve the target of 2 million tourist arrivals by the end of the year.
Bad news snowballed unexpectedly and global lockdowns and grounding of travel movements hit the nation where it hurt the most. For the first time in the history of Maldives, borders were closed since the first tourist resort opened for operation in 1972 and the industry stood on uncertain foundation. Not only was it unforeseen to the country, but the whole world painted a true picture of horror in the recent history. Naturally, any optimistic hopes of achieving the tourist arrival targets were shattered with border closure that lasted for longer than three months.
It is said that in times of peril and hardship, people reveal their strongest self and character. Quick to revive the economy of the country, the Maldivian government and stakeholders prioritized health, safety, and wellbeing of the population amongst all else. Immense efforts of front liners across all industries were devoted to curbing community spreads in the geographically dispersed archipelago. If not for the measures that were taken, Maldives’ delicate health system could not have persevered through the first waves of COVID19.
Simultaneously, it was essential to give the world a hug and remind potential travellers that the sunny side of Maldives could wait for when people were ready to travel. Adapting creativity to its stretches, MMPRC shifted all marketing campaigns to digital platforms, the one form of connectivity that kept the world united during the pandemic. Major events around the world went virtual, and entire industries connected virtually.
The geographical formation of naturally social distanced islands was a blessing in disguise while promoting the destination as a safe haven to wishful travelers. Incorporating this key characteristic with accredited safety programs rolled out on the resort islands, Maldives was able to solidify ground operations and reopen the borders on July 15, 2020. Efforts were further strengthened upon recognition by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) with rewarding of the “Safe Travels Stamp” to the destination. Additionally, Velana International Airport received the ACI Airport Health Accreditation for consistent measures, which are in line with ACI’s standards in the “new normal” during the pandemic. Velana International Airport is the second airport in the Asia Pacific Region to receive the Health Accreditation.
Over the span of one year, Visit Maldives carried out over 412 different types of marketing activities in 22 global markets. 314 activities were carried out during the pandemic as part of the crisis recovery plan; some of the events included online and physical fairs, webinars, FAM trips, online roadshows, outdoors campaigns, digital media campaigns and more. Escaping on private holidays to the safe haven of Maldives, high profile celebrities from around the world boosted reassurance of travel to the destination to vast audiences around the globe.
The year 2020 will be written into history for another major reason besides persevering through a global pandemic. Maldives, for the first time in 43 long years of tourism operations, won the prestigious award for ‘The World’s Leading Destination of 2020’ by ultimate hallmark of excellence in the industry, The World Travel Awards. Achieving a surprising total of 555,399 tourists, the year can be considered a monumental success given the situation.
Fast forwarding to 2021, MMPRC continues to maintain an average of 3400 tourist arrivals per day since the beginning of the year. So far, over a staggering 195,000 visitors have arrived in the Maldives. Rolling out nation-wide vaccination drives and allocating dedicated dozes to tourism industry front liners, Maldives is proving to prioritize safety in the destination further. Up until now, over 129,420 people have been vaccinated in the Maldives. This includes over 6,000 tourism industry workers from more than 40 resorts.
On this celebratory occasion of their 11th Anniversary, we at Coral Glass wish MMPRC wholeheartedly for enduring all the challenges thrown their way and emerging as a success at every step. Moving forward, once again, it is crucial that we recognize the effort, energy, time, dedication and sacrifices made by each and every single Maldivian and international stakeholders in helping the Maldives find its way through the challenges of the pandemic.