Tokyo. Friday 4th April 2008
The Maldives collected 3 first prizes at the Dive and Travel Award 2008 ceremony at the Marine Diving Fair which opened in the Sunshine City Convention Centre in Tokyo, Japan, today. The Marine Diving Fair is Asia’s largest scuba diving and beach resort exhibition. The Fair which enters into its 16th year in 2008 was inaugrated by Mr. Yohei Kono, Chairman of the Marine Diving Fair Organisation and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Parliament.
The 1st prizes gained by the Maldives are the Best Diving Area Overseas, the Best Resort Area Overseas and the Best Dreaming Area. In addtion to the prizes in the desetination category, individual resorts and safaris won may other prizes reflecting the popularity of the Maldives resorts among the Japanese travellers. The Dive and Travel Awards of the Marine Art Centre are based on readers’ choice. The Centre’s most popular magainze, the Marine Diving, is celebrating the 40th year of its publication.
The destination prizes were received by the Maldives Ambassador to Japan, H. E. Mr. Abdul Hameed Zakariyya, the Maldives Deputy Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom and by the Marketing Executive of the Maldives Tourism Promotion Board, Mr. Mohamed Maleeh Jamal.
The Marine Diving Fair is organised by the Marine Art Centre Co. Ltd. of Japan. Last year, the Fair attracted nearly 50,000 visitors.
Japan is the largest tourism market in Asia for the Maldives. The Maldives received 41,121 Japanese tourists in 2007 which account for 6.1 per cent of the share of total tourist arrivals in the Maldives.
