Industry-wide support will be needed to successfully mark Visit Maldives Year 2027, Visit Maldives Corporation Managing Director Ibrahim Shiuree has said. The tourism year, to be celebrated next year, will be held under the slogan “Islands Are Us.”
Managing Director Shiuree made the remarks during the third-quarter meeting of the Maldives Tourism Intelligence Briefing, held at Barceló Nasandhura.
The quarterly meeting brings Visit Maldives and tourism industry stakeholders together on a single platform to share industry information and facilitate informed decision-making on changes and challenges affecting the tourism sector.
Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen officiated the opening ceremony of the meeting. During the event, the official slogan for Visit Maldives Year 2027, “Islands Are Us,” was formally launched by leaders of associations and organisations operating in the Maldives tourism industry.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Managing Director Shiuree said tourism is a rapidly changing industry and that marketing a destination such as the Maldives cannot be undertaken by one party alone. He said Visit Maldives carries out its marketing efforts based on industry feedback and statistics.
Managing Director Shiuree said Visit Maldives Year 2027 will become one of the largest campaigns undertaken so far to promote Maldives tourism. He also said priority had been given to selecting a slogan that reflects Maldivian identity.
He stressed that support from across the tourism industry will be required to carry out the initiative.
“Visit Maldives 2027 will become one of the largest initiatives undertaken so far to promote Maldives tourism. Therefore, this is not something that VMC alone can carry out. Instead, it will require the support of the Government, tourism service providers, businesses and all other parties connected to the industry,” The managing director said.
Visit Maldives Year 2027 has been announced as a national tourism initiative aimed at bringing stakeholders together to strengthen the sector.
At the third-quarter Tourism Intelligence Briefing, Visit Maldives shared information on the tourism industry and the work carried out so far.
Among the topics presented were the findings of a survey conducted jointly by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and Visit Maldives to gather feedback from tourists visiting the Maldives.
Information was also shared on changes affecting air travel and efforts undertaken to overcome disruptions to aviation caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
A separate session was conducted on Visit Maldives Corporation’s products and activities. Participants were briefed on ways to take part in Visit Maldives activities and exchanged views on the matter.
The meeting also provided updates on decisions made during the previous quarter’s meeting, while consultations were held on the tourism industry action plan for next year.
Visit Maldives Corporation said more than 180 representatives participated in the third-quarter briefing, including stakeholders from different areas of the tourism industry and relevant institutions.