The Maldives’s newly launched destination campaign, the World’s Biggest Getaway, which dishes out free holidays to lucky winners throughout 2025, has been a big hit. The January contest alone attracted 28,000 engagements.
The year-long campaign, launched in January by the state-owned Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/Visit Maldives), is ready to award 52 free holidays. A series of social media contests will be conducted on Visit Maldives’ platforms, and four lucky winners will be selected every month.
Abdullah Ghiyas, MMPRC chairman and also president of the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO), told TTG Asia that the public has been exceptionally interested in this campaign, and for good reason – the World’s Biggest Getaway is the country’s largest global campaign.
“We expect interest to keep growing exponentially as the year progresses,” he said.
January winners took home free holidays sponsored by Dusit Thani Maldives, Sky Beach Maldives, Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, and Barceló Whale Lagoon Maldives.
Ghiyas shared that while the overall theme of the campaign emphasises that “the Maldives is the best place to visit any week of any month of the year”, the contests take on monthly themes. The theme for January was Discover Your Maldives, while for February it is Your Dream Luxury Vacation.
Ghiyas is confident that the campaign will capture the interest of a diverse range of travellers, as the Maldives offers something exceptional for everyone.
“Pristine beaches and overwater bungalows naturally appeal to those seeking luxury and romance. However, the Maldives is also a fantastic destination for families, with resorts offering kid-friendly activities and amenities, and also for adventure enthusiasts,” he said, adding that the destination is emerging on the business events scene, thanks to the availability of world-class facilities and stunning venues.
Suresh Dissanayake, assistant vice president of sales & marketing at Adaaran Resorts and Heritance Aarah, told TTG Asia that the campaign is “gaining a lot of traction in many parts of the world”. His resorts are partners in the campaign and are contributing to the prizes.
The Maldives welcomed two million travellers in 2024 and 1.8 million in 2023.
At the start of the year, MMPRC/Visit Maldives announced an ambitious target of US$5 billion in tourism receipts for 2025.
