Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation together with the industry is attending Arabian Travel Market from 30th April to 03rd May 2012. The Maldives delegation comprises of 59 delegates from 33 companies, representing 16 Resorts and 17 Travel Agents.

ATM, the largest trade and consumer travel show in the Gulf region, serves as an ideal platform for Maldivian suppliers and relevant agencies to establish marketing networks with their United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Middle East counterparts. The Maldivian delegation updated the travel trade and members of the media in the UAE and Middle East on new developments and products in the Maldives. Participation in this annual travel market helped to strengthen the presence of Maldives in the Middle East market as ATM brings together the regions buyers and sellers from every sector of the industry.

This year marks Maldives’ 13th year of participation at the ATM.  Maldives’ continuous support for this annual event demonstrates a firm interest in the Middle East market, which showed potential growth in the past few years.

The Maldives Pavilion with an area space of 105 sq. meters was prominently located at stand number AS2450, next to the Thailand Pavilion. Themed as a beach resort of the Maldives, the concept showcased the uniqueness of the intricate stone carving of Maldives traditional Muslim mosque.

Maldives recorded a total of 255,867 tourist arrivals during the first three months of 2012, indicating a sign of growth of tourist to the country.  It represented an increase of 3.3 percent compared to the same period in 2011.

In 2011, a total of 14,570 tourists from the Middle East showed a growth of 25.3 percent compared to 2010.  The first three months of this year 2012 records a total of 4,344 travellers from the Middle East visiting Maldives, signifying an increase of 77.8 percent compared to the corresponding period in 2011. The top tourist generating countries from this region are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.

Maldives representation in Arabian Travel Market 2012 would surely help our target of attracting a million tourists to the Maldives in 2012.

Arabian Travel Market 2011 – Visitor statistics

Overall visitor attendance represented a 15% growth in 2011 compared to 2010.
Visitor attendance (excluding consumers): 16,636
Exhibitor attendance (personnel): 7,348

Visitor

Exhibitors