Travel & Culture

COVID-19 flare-up depresses tourism sector during Qingming Festival

Published

2 years ago

10/04/2022

MNN

The recent rise of COVID-19 cases in China weighed down the domestic tourism sector during the Qingming Festival holiday that concluded Tuesday. A total of 75.41 million domestic tourist trips were made across the country, with a year-on-year drop of 26.2 percent, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The total tourism revenue reached 18.78 billion yuan ($2.95 billion), a decrease of 30.9 percent from last year.

The ministry said the total tourist number and revenue during this year’s three day holiday showed a recovery rate of 68 percent and 39.2 percent, respectively, compared to the pre-pandemic level of 2019.

People enjoy camping at a park in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province, April 5, 2022. /CFP

Due to the COVID-19 flare-up, traveling to other cities and provinces during the holiday was discouraged by the Chinese authorities. Data from the ministry showed that 94.9 percent of the tourists opted for short trips within the province.

Meanwhile, the country imposed strict COVID-19 prevention and control measures. Places including tourist attractions, public libraries, museums, art galleries, theaters and entertainment venues stayed open, but with protocols limiting the total visiting number, requesting reservation in advance and encouraging off-peak time visits. Also, a series of measures and requirements, such as mask-wearing, body temperature measurement, indoor ventilation and disinfection, continued to be in place.

A park in Jinhua City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, April 5, 2022. /CFP

Outdoor goers were predominantly sought after by domestic tourists, such as going on a spring outing to enjoy the blossoms and camping. Ctrip, the country’s major online travel agency, said the searches for the flower-viewing scenic spots and camping sites on its platform rose sharply before and during the holiday.

In addition, memorial halls and historical sites were also on the list of popular destinations for Chinese people to learn the history and pay tribute to revolutionary martyrs

An exhibition on the life of Li Dazhao, a pioneer of the Communist Party of China, in Beijing, April 5, 2022. /CFP

The western part of the country, which was less affected by the current epidemic, reported a faster tourism recovery, according to Ctrip, with the cities of Chongqing, Xi’an, Kunming, Urumqi and Guiyang among the top destinations.

Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional occasion for Chinese people to pay tribute to the deceased ones. It falls on the first day of the fifth solar terms in the Chinese traditional calendar, which was April 5 this year.

Source: CGTN

Travel & Culture

Maldives sweeps WTAs with four titles in Indian Ocean category

Published

4 days ago

06/05/2024

Maldives has won four prestigious titles at the World Travel Awards (WTA) – Indian Ocean category, including the award for the region’s leading destination.

The WTA Indian Ocean awards were presented on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) at Dubai World Trade Center on Monday.

The Maldives won:

Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination 2024
Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination 2024
Indian Ocean’s Leading Green Destination 2024
Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Destination 2024

The award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination was accepted by Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal, whole the award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination was accepted by Ayesha Nurain Janah, Chairperson of Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC).

Meanwhile, the award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Green Destination was accepted by MMPRC’s Managing Director Fathmath Thaufeeq, and the award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Destination was accepted by Mohamed Khaleel, an advisor to the Maldivian president on tourism development.

In a statement announcing the achievement, MMPRC said the significance of the awards highlights the Maldives’ standing as an unparalleled tourist destination, showcases the country’s commitment to delivering unforgettable experiences to visitors from around the world, and reinforces the continued efforts of MMPRC in promoting and developing the nation’s tourism sector.

Maldives has dominated the WTA Indian Ocean awards since the category was introduced in 2003, winning the Leading Destination title 17 times, the Leading Honeymoon Destination title six times, and the Leading Dive Destination title nine times.

But this marks the first year the Maldives has been recognized as a Green Destination, highlighting the country’s commitment to sustainable tourism.

“Winning these awards will indeed enhance the image of the destination as a high-profile luxury destination among visitors. These awards indicate visitors’ love and confidence towards the Maldives, a huge step towards World’s Leading Destination!” reads the MMPRC’s statement.

Established in 1993, the WTA are widely regarded as one of the most respected and popular awards in the world of travel and tourism. Symbolizing the most outstanding endorsement in tourism, and the travel industry, the awards aim to recognize and reward achievements in all aspects of travel and tourism on a global scale.

Maldives was crowned the World’s Leading Destination for the fourth year running at the 2023 World Travel Awards.

The Indian Ocean destination recorded 1.8 million arrivals last year, and is eying a record 2 million visitors this year.

Source(s): sun.mv

Travel & Culture

MMPRC promotes Maldives at KITF

Published

2 weeks ago

26/04/2024

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has begun promoting the Maldives in the Kazakistan International Travel Fair (KITF). A total of 17 companies within the Maldivian tourism industry have participated in the fair along with MMPRC.

KITF is a significant, well-renowned fair hosted in Central Asia since 2001. The fair serves as a crucial platform to expand tourism industries across the world, enhancing more opportunities within the field. This year, the fair is scheduled to be held from April 24 to 26.

MMPRC revealed that the expo intends to establish and bolster ties with Kazakistan and agents in the central region of Asia, while displaying various merchandise from representing the Maldives in a global manner. It further affirmed that maximum efforts will be exerted to provide tourists with the latest information and to showcase the destinations and previous experiences, aiming to attract more tourist arrivals. Additionally, it stated that opportunities are available to establish collaborative partnership ties.

The stand of the Maldives placed in the KITF represents the true sunny side of life. Emphasising the significance of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the MMPRC assured that it is actively involved in promoting and advertising the Maldives to the CIS region through various activities and events. It further stated the significance of using social media as a tool to advertise the Maldives and attract more viewers.

Source(s): PsmNews

Travel & Culture

Maldives welcomes over 700,000 tourists

Published

2 weeks ago

24/04/2024

Ministry of Tourism has revealed more than 700,000 tourists have visited the country so far.

The latest statistics published by the tourism ministry show that a total of 728,950 tourist arrivals visited the Maldives between January 1 and April 21, which is an increase of 13.1% compared to the 644,721 arrivals during the same period last year. The statistics show that a total of 192,385 tourists visited the Maldives in January, 217,392 arrivals in February, 194,227 in March and 124,946 arrivals till April 21.

The latest updated report reveals that Chinese tourists constitute the largest portion of total tourist arrivals so far this year, with 77،709 visitors. Following China, the United Kingdom, and Russia along with Italy and Germany, stand out as the next highest sources of tourists, with 72,635 and 72,336, 66,170 and 57,321 arrivals, respectively. Currently, Maldives receives an average of 6451 tourists every day, which spend an average of 7.9 days in the country.

Aiming to expand the tourism industry, the bed capacity has been increased with a total of 62,232 beds. This includes resorts, guest houses, hotels and safaris as well.

Source(s): PsmNews