VMC's Third Quarterly Briefing Sets Priorities for Visit Maldives Year 2027

Visit Maldives Corporation held its third Quarterly Insights briefing of 2026 on 13 August at the Barceló Nasandhura in Malé, bringing tourism industry stakeholders, government officials and media together to review the year's tourism intelligence and set priorities for the months ahead.

Tourism Minister Mohamed Ameen reaffirmed the government's commitment to sustainable growth in the sector. VMC CEO and Managing Director Ibrahim Shiuree said the corporation's marketing decisions need to keep pace with a fast-changing industry.

"Tourism moves quickly. Traveller behaviour changes, market conditions shift, air connectivity evolves, and new opportunities emerge. Our marketing cannot operate in isolation from those realities," Shiuree said.

Dr Simad Saeed of CDE Consulting presented findings from the Maldives Visitor Survey 2025, covering visitor profiles and travel preferences. Nashaya Abdul Wahid, General Manager of the Air Service Department at Maldives Airports Company Limited, gave an update on air connectivity and demand recovery.

VMC also used the session to report back on feedback from the previous Quarterly Insights briefing, showing which industry recommendations had already been acted on and which remained under review. The corporation framed the series as a two way channel rather than a one off presentation.

Stakeholders at the briefing raised several priorities for the coming year, including diversifying the Maldives' tourism offering, strengthening sustainability across communities and resort infrastructure, and improving engagement with travel advisors. VMC pointed to the CIS, Central and Eastern European, and Nordic markets as regions with room for further growth.

The briefing also marked the official reveal of "Islands Are Us," the theme for Visit Maldives Year 2027. Representatives from MATI, NHGAM, NBAM, MATATO and MAYA joined VMC for the announcement, underscoring the industry wide backing behind the campaign.

The session closed with remarks from VMC Chief Operating Officer Sabeeha Ahmed. VMC said the priorities identified during the Q3 briefing will now feed into the Visit Maldives Year 2027 Action Plan and the corporation's destination marketing activities for the rest of the year.