Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has shared the 50-year journey, milestones, and achievements of the Maldivian tourism industry with global media representatives during the ‘Maldives Media Meet’ hosted at WTM London 2022.

This event was held at the ExCel London media centre on 8th November 2022. 

The Maldives Media Meet was led by the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of MMPRC, Thoyyib Mohamed, joined by; Maldives Tourism Industry Pioneer, Hussain Afeef; the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and Ireland, Dr. Farah Faizal; and the Minister of Tourism of Maldives, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom.

The spotlight of the media meet was on the success of the Maldives Tourism industry over the past 50 years and the evolution of destination marketing efforts by MMPRC.

Attendants at the event consisted of representatives from the travel trade, media, and tourism-related organizations. 

MMPRC disclosed that those who attended the event were gifted a Maldivian Feyli (traditional sarong) upon arrival; a token of the Maldives’ culture and hospitality.

Additionally, an immersive storytelling session signifying the communal spirit and the unyielding hospitality inherent to the Maldives was presented to the attendants, from the “Communal Spirit” folklore story from Visit Maldives’ Tales of Maldives books. This was followed by a destination presentation, and then the opening statements by the panelists.

The opening remarks at the event were made by Hussain Afeef, who spoke at length, giving the attendants an industry perspective on the inception of tourism in the Maldives, and the key differences between then and now.  

The Minister of Tourism Abdulla Mausoom detailed the importance of sustainable tourism to an island nation such as Maldives. He highlighted that 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.

High Commissioner Farah expounded on the long-standing bilateral ties between the Maldives and the UK, expressing her pride at how far the Maldives has come as a tourism destination.

Moreover, the meet saw the Managing Director of MMPRC giving a brief overview on the evolution of destination marketing through the past five decades.

MMPRC states that the purpose of hosting this event was to connect with leading media representatives from the UK. MMPRC provided them with the most up-to-date information about the destination, its products, services, and unique experiences.

Through the event, MMPRC promoted the Maldives as one of the most preferred holiday destinations for travellers from the UK and worldwide.

They further promoted their future plans, sustainability initiatives, and marketing efforts for the coming year.

MMPRC launched a special large-scale event to be hosted next year, the Visit Maldives Storytellers’ Conference 2023 at the Maldives Media Meet.

The conference ended with a Q&A session, and one lucky attendee of the event won a complete set of the 'Tales of Maldives' books.