The Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), Thoyyib Mohamed has stated that the Maldives is now closing in on pre-pandemic tourist arrival figures.

Thoyyib stated this at the high-level panel discussion at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Destination Marketing Forum 2022 (PDMF).

Speaking at the forum, Thoyyib recalled how MMPRC handled the Covid-19 crisis amidst the pandemic. He highlighted the many successes and accolades achieved during the time including; being stamped with the 'Safe Travels' label on September 18, 2020, by the World Travel Tourism Council; the fully digital campaign “Maldives; The Sun Will Shine Again” watched live by over 850,000 people across the world; and the highly-successful ‘I’m Vaccinated’ Covid-19 vaccination drive conducted together with the Ministry of Tourism. 

Thoyyib noted that during the past year , MMPRC focused on working together to tackle the challenges faced by Covid-19.

Noting that the country's arrival figures dropped to half a million tourists in 2020, Thoyyib stated that this figure jumped to over 1.3 million in 2021 and that the country is nearing the 1 millionth tourist mark in 2022 already.

Concluding his remarks at the discussion, Thoyyib asserted that the future of the Maldives tourism industry is bright, and full of promise and potential. He said that he considers this the perfect time to roll up our sleeves and continue to make the changes we need for the future, to maintain the Maldives’ position ahead of the curve, as we have done before. 

Thoyyib attended the forum by invitation from PATA, as one of the expert speakers for the “Destination Marketing in the age of COVID-19” panel.

The forum gathers the top minds in destination travel for insightful discussions on key issues in marketing and managing tourism growth to lesser-known destinations. This action-packed, annual event features two non-stop days of learning, discovery, and networking. 

Beginning on August 4th in Songkhla, Thailand, the event invited high-level executives in global destination travel, including; H.E. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand; and Ms Supawan Teerarat, the Senior Vice President of MICE Capability and Innovation, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). The forum further included prominent speakers such as; Ms Nicola Eliot, the Vice President of BBC StoryWorks; Ms Montakarn Suvanatap Kittipaisalsilp, Programme Officer for Culture, UNESCO Thailand; and Ms Naomi Mano, President of the Japan MICE Association and President and CEO of Luxurique Inc. The high-level delegates joined the forum for inspiring and insightful discussions on marketing and managing tourism growth to lesser-known destinations under the theme “Building Back Sustainably through Cultural Heritage and Community-based Tourism”.