MMPRC Continues to Maintain Strong Destination Demand for India, the Largest Market For This Year
Sunday 17th of July 2022
Through a range of initiatives and participation in the most important fairs and exhibitions, Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/Visit Maldives) is sustaining the destination momentum in our largest market for this year, the Indian market.
To sustain the enthusiasm and momentum that the Maldives has attained with the Indian market, especially over the previous several years with other significant markets like China still closed due to Covid-19, MMPRC has been hosting numerous exciting events, with more on the horizon.
With 62,960 arrivals in 2020 and a market share of 11.3 percent, India was the top market. In 2021, it fared similarly with over 278,740 travelers and a market share of 22.6 percent. The Maldives have received 119,967 visitors from India as of June this year. India was the country's main source market throughout this time, accounting for 14.8% of the market share through 2022.
MMPRC has carried out a number of operations aimed at this market in addition to taking part in significant fairs like OTM 2022, SATTE 2022, and TTF 2022 in order to keep up our destination momentum. With the help of business executives in the travel and tourist industry, MMPRC designed and carried out a number of joint initiatives in response to the feedback and interest shown by the Indian market before, during, and after these events.
With a total reach of almost 7 million due to the excellent sites chosen, this also includes an outdoor advertising campaign promoting the island nation at 05 distinct prime locations in the Delhi and Greater Noida area. In order to entice locals and visitors from other cities to visit the Maldives, the promotion was run from May 1 to June 3, 2022, which coincided with SATTE 2022. The Maldives was promoted in areas that were ideal for commuters heading to SATTE as well as general city travelers.
With Thomas Cook, PickYourTrail, and Vistara Inflight Magazine, MMPRC is now running joint marketing efforts. The latter is scheduled to run from May to October 2022. The sole five-star airline in India is Vistara, which has a select clientele and a strong brand recognition among travelers. The High Networth Individual (HNI) demographic targeted by the Vistara inflight magazine is elite and seeks to improve their lifestyle, expand their horizons, and deepen their experiences through travel. Young people who are interested in engaging with material and media on many platforms make up the audience, which also includes famous people and businesses.
A little over 500,000 people pass through Vistara each month, and this campaign will highlight the Maldives as a top vacation spot and entice HNIs and the elite to visit our stunning islands when planning their upcoming vacation. Over 700,000 wealthy readers are anticipated to see the stories, commercials, and advertorials included in the magazine, while at least 55,000 people are anticipated to view the native narrative posted on the Vistara website. Additionally, adverts to visit the Maldives will be included in the Vistara newsletter, which has over 3 Million subscribers.
From June 13 to June 19, 2022, a group of media experts from a number of highly regarded Indian media sites also traveled to the Maldives to familiarize themselves with the destination. The Kuramathi Maldives, The Residence Maldives, and Noku Maldives were the team's accommodations. MMPRC representatives met with the media team in Kuramathi Maldives and discussed expanding initiatives to further promote Maldivian travel in the Indian market.
Through a collaboration with Wedding Affair magazine, MMPRC also promoted the Romantic Side of Life to the Indian public. One of the best-selling international Indian wedding publications, Wedding Affair caters to a luxury and specialized market and has around 50,000 devoted subscribers. A total of 1,033,385 people were reached by the campaign, including readers of the cover and 8-page advertisement for The Maldives as well as over 48,500 online.
Additionally, MMPRC conducted a 2-week radio campaign in July 2022 with IAM Communications, one of the most reputable advertising organizations in India, to target potential travelers. Eight important source markets—Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Cochin, Trivandrum, Chennai, and Ahmedabad—are where the campaign is being carried out. Each of the eight locations has 180 commercials in the campaign, which totals 35,000 seconds of campaign-related airtime and 40 seconds of RJ mentions. This campaign should reach more than 1 million people.
The Maldives brand was ambientally strengthened in all major cities as part of MMPRC's strategies for the Indian market. The strategy identifies channels to reach the luxury market segment, including high-end magazines, heavily advertised roadshows in luxury market segment-friendly locales, and promotion of budget-friendly vacation options through roadshows in more accessible locales for that particular market segment. Targeted advertising for honeymooners and family vacations, more B2B contact to raise awareness of guesthouse and budget resort choices, and the use of social media for brand marketing during holiday seasons are other areas of attention.
In addition to promoting the Maldives at prestigious fairs and exhibitions, MMPRC also carried out a number of promotional efforts for this market in 2021, including an E-learning campaign with 2HUB, a Tri Campaign with Yatra & Go Air, and influencer and celebrity familiarization tours. For the rest of the year, there are a ton more activities planned for this market, including collaborative marketing campaigns with airlines, tour operators, and travel agencies as well as TV and radio advertisements, familiarization flights, and familiarization tours.
[Photos: Visit Maldives]