REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

CREATIVE AGENCY / EXPERT for the REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES DESTNATION MARKETING

The Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC) is the organisation set up and established by the government of His Excellency President Nasheed of the Republic of the Maldives to undertake all the marketing activities for the government Ministries and government departments. Core to its duties and function is the requirement of tourism awareness and promotion. The MMPRC has absorbed the work carried out by the former Maldives Tourism and Promotion Board (MTPB) and actively promote the Maldives as the world's best holiday beach destination to the tourism industry and consumer target audience(s).

We believe the MMPRC's role from a tourism perspective can be summed up by the statement "We create demand for the destination!" (..all supply issues in the industry are consequently handled by the open free market place and is in turn regulated by the Ministry of Tourism).

Background to the Maldives The Maldives is an archipelago nation of 1,190 islands in the Indian Ocean renowned for its pristine beaches and island environment. Annual GDP growth has averaged 7.5% over the last 15 years, and is largely led by two major economic drivers - tourism and fishing. Europe and Asia are the nation's primary tourism source markets, led by UK, Italy, China, France, Germany, and Russia. Total tourism arrivals for 2011 will total approximately 940,000, 19% year on year increase and a breaking all previous records.

Our Tourism "Segmentation" strategy: To cater for the core traditional strengths such as "sun worshippers", "honeymooners", "leisure / relaxation", "divers and snorkelers" etc. We wish to maximise our traditional strengths but to also positively overcome negative pre-conceptions ie "too expensive / not good value", "a honeymoon once in a lifetime experience", "too boring / nothing to do" and "difficult to get to" etc.

In addition this, with the recent re-branding to "ALWAYS NATURAL" national destination slogan and logo (see www.visitmaldives), to adhere to the positive values we believe this resonates - ie "the Maldives is the best tropical beach destination and it's unique natural pristine beauty is why people come to experience our country - the Maldives is also environmentally a "fragile flower" that needs to be protected and treasured for the future.

Our Economic Investments: The new slogan is also designed to help the whole of the Maldivian society ie the fishing industry and attracting economic investments from abroad. While the evolution of the country's tourism positioning will be a central driver of the rebranding, the Maldives will also seek to present itself as a destination offering a wider array of opportunities for business and investment, with the goal of spurring development and building a national image that its people will embrace with pride.

Our Mission: Continuing to identify and develop our nation's unique tourism potential is fundamental to achieving sustainable growth targets we have set as a nation. Tourism lays a strong foundation for development, increasing business and income-generating opportunities for our people, attracting foreign investment, and developing modern and energy-efficient infrastructure that will have long-term cascading benefits for all levels of society.

CLICK HERE DOWNLOAD this REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (right click and click 'save link as')   

For more information or clarifications please e-mail mode@visitmaldives.com