Maldives participates at the World’s leading travel trade show ITB in Berlin, Germany from 8-12 March 2017, showcasing a variety of Maldives experiences at the 405 Sqm two-storey stand. With the participation of 280 representatives from 88 companies having travelled to Berlin, it is the largest event for the Maldives tourism sector as well. The Maldives contingent is headed by the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Moosa Zameer.
Maldives is being represented at a 405 square meter, two-storey stand designed to display various aspects of the destination through colourful images. In a contemporary setting, traditional elements such as handicraft items, swing and Maldivian “joali” seats hand woven with rope and even powder white sand from the Maldives are infused in the design to bring a local touch.
For a taste of the Maldives, the Maldives stand is showcasing a variety of activities for an exciting experience for the visitors. Highlights of activities this year include, experience of Maldives through virtual reality, be it a swim with whale sharks or the serene sunny beaches of the islands; Cultural dances by young Maldivian women in colourful traditional wear; local music performed by a Maldivian musicians; spa experience to relax and unwind even for a while from the stress of the trade show; craftsmen at work carving lacquer worked handicraft items which you just may have a chance to take home; tastes of different local flavours of Maldivian short eats at the stand and live station demonstrating the art of making traditional “roshi” (Maldivian flat bread) and mas-huni (tuna salad); get your name printed in local “Dhivehi” language unique to the Maldives, take picture and post on social media for a chance to win a holiday to the Sunny side of life.
In addition, a press conference focusing on Maldives developments for the media and a “Maldivian Night” gala for travel trade and media will be held coinciding with the fair.
ITB is the World’s leading travel trade show with the participation from 187 Countries across 5 Continents. These comprise 10,000 Exhibitors, 1000 Qualified Top Buyers, 26,000 Convention Visitors, 60,000 Private Visitors and 120,000 Trade Visitors within the 160,000 Square meters of the show at Messe Berlin Exhibition grounds. There was a turnover of 7 Bn. Euro in business dealings last year through ITB, according to the fair organisers.
ITB Berlin provides vast opportunities through their B2B platform for the Maldives industry partners to interact with the trade visitors and expand the contacts and do business. Furthermore, it is the place to show the product offerings of Maldives and communicate destination information to the travel trade, media as well as the public visitors.
Germany is currently the second largest source market to the Maldives. A total of 106,132 Germans chose Maldives for their vacation last year which is a growth of 1.2% compared to 2015.
