Under the agreement, SLC will work with Visit Maldives for one year to ensure the destination stays “top of the mind” for UK holidaymakers and will also work closely with the travel trade.

These promotional activities will include organising educational trips for agents, as well as “actively engaging with the UK travel trade to market the destination as more than a honeymoon hotspot”. SLC will also handle public relations for the tourist office.

Thoyyib Mohamed, chief executive and managing director of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, said: “Welcoming one million tourists to our shores and bringing SLC on board as our new UK agency we aim to strengthen and build upon our presence in the UK market.” 

The Maldives has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors from the UK so far in 2022 and surpassed one million total visitors for the year on 12 August. The country is aiming to reach 1.6 million arrivals this year as it recovers from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chris Farwell, managing director of SLC Representation, said the agency would be “building upon that momentum”, as the Maldives looks to attract more families, adventure seekers and business travellers, alongside its traditional romance market.