Dani and Oscar, influencers representing Kelapa Media, have arrived in the Maldives for a familiarization trip, upon invitation by Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/Visit Maldives). The duo will be in the Maldives for this trip from 26

th

June – 06

th

July.

Kelapa Media is a film production company that creates commercial photography and videography for brands and encompasses an audience covering the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy & UAE markets. Kelapa Media comprises content creator Dani & award-winning photographer and videographer, Oscar. Together they run the Instagram account @luxtravelcouple which has a reach of 92.7 thousand followers.

Through this trip, we aim to market the romantic side of Maldives, emphasizing a variety of services catering to luxurious, adventurous experiences available in our destination for couples. The duo will stay in Fairmont Sirru Fen Fushi, Grand Park Kodhipparu and Reethi Beach Resort where they will experience spa and wellness, diving, snorkeling, gastronomy, and other unique services provided by these properties. The duo will create and share videos, photos and promote our destination on their social media handles expected to reach a wide audience specially honeymooners and couples.

The fam trip will help highlight the romantic side of life, the unique products and services awaiting couples in the Maldives. It will also help to promote the privacy, safety, and seclusion the destination offers, the geography of our scattered islands, the latest travel guidelines, and destination information.

This trip is organized as part of our marketing strategy to promote the various segments of tourism available in the destination for tourists from the USA market, especially the experiences awaiting couples in the Maldives. USA currently stands as the 7

th

top source market to the Maldives from January till June 8

th

. During this period, the Maldives welcomed 732,884 visitors, with the USA contributing 4.7% to the total market share with 34,609 visitors. MMPRC has been holding several activities, including joint campaigns with industry stakeholders, fam trips, and participation in fairs and exhibitions targeting this market to maintain destination popularity, visibility and to increase arrivals from the USA.

MMPRC carried out 260 different marketing activities in 22 global markets last year, including fairs, roadshows, familiarization trips, marketing campaigns, webinars, and interviews. The greatest testament to the success of these activities came last year, as the Maldives secured the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ (among several other accolades) at the 2021 World Travel Awards, globally recognized as the hallmark of industry excellence. This is the second consecutive year that the Maldives had successfully earned this prestigious title, a shining testimony of the trust placed in the ‘magic of Maldivian hospitality’ by travelers from all over the globe.