Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC)’s Chairperson, Abdulla Giyas has announced a strategic shift in the corporation’s approach that moves away from symbolic activities towards delivering tangible results. He made the remarks while speaking at MMPRC's Annual General Meeting.
Speaking at the event, Giyas noted improvements in the company's financial position and operating structure, describing the growth as a historic progress. He highlighted key goals achieved by the corporation in the past year, including reducing operating costs by ten percent and cutting down the spending allocated for trade shows from 80 percent to 34 percent. This has allowed the extra funds to be redirected towards more robust and impactful initiatives, he said. For the first time in over a decade, MMPRC’s goals had been reshaped to focus on measurable outcomes rather than symbolic gestures, he said.
Giyas added that MMPRC now operates as a modern, data-driven and strategic tourism board. Reporting strong growth across key markets, he noted that the Indian market, which had previously declined by 39 percent, now records a growth of four percent. He also reported a surge in global interest, with Google searches for Maldives from the United Kingdom and Asia have increased by more than 1,000 percent.
“The Maldives is now not only on the global travel map - we are at the forefront. The next six months will bring even more impactful development through new partnerships and strategic campaigns already in motion," Giyas said.
Giyas underscored the need for increased financial backing to accelerate these efforts and achieve the intended results. He noted that that regional competitors spend significantly more to promote their destinations while the Maldives spends the least among competitors. The Maldives has not matched rival spending levels for over twenty years, he said.