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Prominent tourism figures will be participating in-person at the opening session of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Global Stage 2021 on May 16th.
Under the banner ‘Tourism for a brighter future,’ the show will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
The line-up includes speakers such as: Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general of the Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM); Taleb Rifai, former secretary general of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation; Scott Livermore, chief economist at Oxford Economics Middle East; and Thoyyib Mohamed, managing director of Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation.
Moderated by CNN, the session will examine the critical factors that will deliver a strong, fast-paced and sustainable recovery in travel and tourism and the pivotal role that the sector will play in overall economic growth.
Maldives was the most popular destination for Emiratis to travel to in 2020.
Easily reachable from the UAE, the Indian Ocean archipelago was the go-to destination for UAE citizens last year, according to travel specialists at Rehlaty.
“With a convenient four-hour flight time from Dubai, and no requirement for a PCR test ahead of returning home for UAE nationals [flying into Dubai] it’s no surprise that Maldives travel packages proved the top choice for travellers, said Rehab Mansoor, general manager at Rehlaty, part of the
dnata Travel Group.
The Maldives reopened to international tourists in July 2020
. Since then, Emiratis have been one of the top source markets to the islands, with more than 6,000
Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, January 9: Wealthy Indians are flocking to Maldives for a holiday. Last year, they became that country’s top source market: 62,905 Indian tourists made it their holiday destination. They accounted for 11.3% of the total market share, according to the Indian High Commission in Male.
Maldives is one of the few countries open to international tourists during the Covid-19 pandemic. Five Indian cities have flights to Male with five airlines operating there under the air bubble formed between the two countries
Maldives had allowed international tourists from July 15, 2020 with free visa-on-arrival. The archipelago does not have mandatory quarantine or testing on arrival for foreign tourists.
Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director, Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation
In an unprecedented move by any country globally, Maldives Immigration in partnership with the country’s tourism board, has installed a points-based system to incentivise travellers to revisit the Indian Ocean Island paradise in exchange of varying degrees of privileges and exclusive benefits. Known as Maldives Border Miles and launched last month, this three-tier system promises points for each trip, whereby travellers may earn extra points for celebrating special occasions in the archipelago and for longer stays.
TTN spoke to Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director, Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation, hot on the heels of the country winning World’s Leading Destination award at the Grand Final of the World Travel Awards 2020. “The stringent health measures in place and the naturally inbuilt social distancing embedded in our destination, have together instilled confidence in travel