The Embassy of the Republic of Maldives in London participated in the Southend Carnival 2017 to promote Maldives culture and tourism in the United Kingdom.
The Southend Carnival occurs annually, attracting over 100,000 spectators to Southend seafront with over 60 floats and acts; the Southend Summer Care Carnival Procession is one of the largest in the United Kingdom. The Carnival procession itself includes various colorful floats, exciting acts, dancers, music, bands, vibrant costumes and much more for everyone to enjoy.
The Maldives is a popular tourist destination, especially for Britons who are amongst the top three nationals arriving into the country. As well as this, Europe has remained on top in market share with 48.7% of the total arrivals to the Maldives originating from Europe; the region has also observed a growth of 10.7% in the first half of 2017 in comparison to 2016 figures. The Maldives float aimed to retain and attract tourists by depicting a typical beach scene in the Maldives. The float was designed to capture the essence and beauty of the Maldives with a white sandy beach, thriving coconut palm trees and picturesque tropical underwater scenes. Maldivians residing in various parts of the United Kingdom travelled to the Southend Carnival with their respective families to support the Maldives float and partake in the festivities by accompanying the procession.
In the procession, the Maldives float was awarded a 2nd place by the “Trader with a Vehicle” judging category for the creative display and for its design concept and also won a 3rd place from the “MP’s Choice “category.
The Maldives float was sponsored by Kihaa Maldives and Coco Collection who offered the winner of the Southend raffle and a companion a complimentary stay at one of their resorts in the Maldives.