MMPRC Hosts ‘Maldives Media Meet’ -Reminiscing The 50-Year Journey of Maldives Tourism
Thursday 10th of November 2022
Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has hosted the ‘Maldives Media Meet’ at WTM London 2022, sharing with the global media representatives the journey, milestones and accomplishments of the Maldives tourism industry.
The Maldives Media Meet was spearheaded by the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of MMPRC, Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed. He was joined at the panel by a pioneer of Maldives’ Tourism Industry, Mr. Hussain Afeef, the High Commission to the United Kingdom, Great Britain & Ireland, H.E Dr. Farah Faizal and the Minister of Tourism of the Maldives, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom. The media meet was attended by high-profile representatives from the travel trade, media and other tourism-related organizations.
The attendees were welcomed by a gift featuring the Maldivian Feyli (traditional sarong) a testimony of the Maldives’ culture and hospitality for which the destination is celebrated for. The event was kick-started by a riveting storytelling session that highlighted the communal spirit and the unyielding hospitality inherent to the Maldives. Through this, MMPRC emphasized that hospitality is one of the prominent factors behind the success story of Maldives’ Tourism.
The story-telling session was followed up by a presentation about the destination after which the panelists gave their opening statements. The media meet reminisced on the past 50 years of tourism in the country, reflecting on its growth and evolution and the changes brought to the marketing efforts by MMPRC.
Mr. Hussain Afeef gave the attendees an industry perspective of tourism in Maldives and recalled the key differences between the present and past. He shared with the attendees stating “We took the first groups of tourists on excursions on sailboats. We had no telephones or fax machines, so we communicated via Morse code. We had 2 flights a year coming into the country, bringing a small group of tourists that was our connection to the outside world. We had to play many roles, we wore many hats, and we had to be tour guides, chefs and everything in between for the tourists. It was a hard journey but look how far we have come today”.
The Tourism Minister spoke at length about the importance of sustainable tourism for an island destination like Maldives and said “Maldives believes Tourists of the Future are fast becoming the present and expects destinations and service providers to be meaningfully committed to Sustainable Tourism Practices”.
Dr. Farah Faizal expounded on the bilateral ties between the Maldives and UK and remarked “As a diplomat, I am proud that the Maldives has established a global presence in the tourism sector, becoming a recognized brand worldwide. This has undoubtedly supported the strengthening of international relations on all fronts. Our holistic response to the pandemic has resulted in the tourism industry rebounding back to pre-pandemic levels. I am certain that this year’s WTM will showcase the outstanding degree of service our industry has to offer”.
Mr. Thoyyib reviewed the evolution of destination marketing in the past 5 decades and commented “We may have begun marketing the destination by participating in a fair, but then we continued to market the destination, establish presence in all platforms, utilizing every type of tool that was at our disposal. No matter the target we reach, in the form of infrastructure development in the sector of arrivals, our work is never-ending. Perseverance, dedication and relentless efforts in making sure we are always visible and on the top”