Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) on Tuesday signed an agreement with an Indonesian company to develop Virtual Reality (VR) 360 photography based multimedia content to promote Maldives tourism.
At a ceremony held at MMPRC office in capital Male, MMPRC’s Acting Managing Director Haris Mohamed and PT Gecko Digital Indonesia’s Founder and CEO James South signed the agreement.
In a statement, MMPRC said Gecko Digital will create standalone native application to promote the destination, and revamp the official destination promotion website of Maldives by including VR and 360 photography based technologies. The company will also provide extensive training and assistance to fully utilise the software, it added.
According to MMPRC, the contents created by Gecko Digital will be used at events and fairs participated by MMPRC to enhance the visitor experience through VR technology.
“It is believed that this collaboration will help promote the Maldives as a tourist destination and take Maldives to the highest level in the digital arena by providing the visitors with a virtual reality experience of the destination,” the statement read.
Gecko Digital is a leading multimedia provider that offers the highest quality HD 360 virtual reality, virtual tours, promotional videography, commercial still photography and creative content development for sophisticated web-based marketing.
MMPRC has earlier announced plans to participate in 17 international travel fairs in 2018, in a bid to ramp up tourism promotion.
Meanwhile, MVR 50 million (USD 3.3 million) have been allocated from the proposed budget for 2018 for tourism promotion.
Why VR and 360° Content Matters for Maldives Tourism
The Maldives competes with destinations worldwide for traveller attention. Static photos can’t capture what makes an overwater villa special, the colour of the lagoon at sunrise, or the layout of a private island resort. That’s where immersive 360° content changes the game for tourism boards and resort marketers.
When MMPRC partnered with our team to build VR experiences, the goal was simple: give potential guests a real sense of place before they book. Virtual tours let travellers explore a resort’s rooms, dining venues, and house reefs from anywhere in the world. It’s the closest thing to visiting without the flight.
How Resorts Use 360° Tours to Win Bookings
Resorts that publish interactive tours on their websites typically see longer session times and higher direct booking rates. Guests who explore a property in 360° arrive at the booking page already convinced. They’ve picked their villa category, walked the jetty, and pictured themselves at the spa.
If you’re a Maldives resort looking to add 360° content to your marketing mix, our virtual tour production service covers everything from capture to web integration. You can also check our rate card for current pricing.
What Luxury Hospitality Clients Say About Gecko Digital’s VR Work
The MMPRC partnership wasn’t a one-off project. It reflects how Gecko Digital operates across the hospitality sector globally. Bernard Ramen, General Manager at One and Only Le Saint Geran, put it plainly: ‘I first worked with Gecko Digital to create a virtual tour of a previous property I worked at, and the results were extremely positive, with strong engagement and clear impact on bookings. So I had full confidence in bringing them back.’ That kind of repeat trust doesn’t happen without results. Luca Guerra, Director of Sales and Marketing at St. Regis Le Morne, noted that the virtual experience ‘had a positive contribution to business’ and became ‘a great resource for Sales and Reservations to reflect the unique features of the resort.’ These aren’t vague endorsements. They’re outcomes that sales teams can point to.
Why MMPRC Chose Gecko Digital for a National Tourism Brief
When a national tourism board signs an agreement to represent an entire destination in VR, they’re not picking a vendor at random. MMPRC selected Gecko Digital because the company had already built a track record across the luxury resort segment. Today, Gecko Digital has worked with over 700 clients across hospitality and real estate, including Ritz Carlton Bangkok, Anantara, Avani, and One and Only Le Saint Geran. Shanaka Perera, VP Digital and Marketing at Minor Hotels and Resorts, said the team ‘delivers consistently high-quality work and understands how to present our properties in a way that aligns with our brand standards.’ That same understanding of brand positioning is what made Gecko Digital the right fit for a destination as image-sensitive as the Maldives, where every pixel of a virtual tour either earns trust or loses it.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Partnership
What did MMPRC commission Gecko Digital to produce?
MMPRC contracted Gecko Digital to develop VR 360 photography based multimedia content, build a standalone native application for destination promotion, and revamp the official Maldives tourism website to include VR and 360 photography technologies. Gecko Digital also provided training so MMPRC staff could fully use the software.
How is the VR content being used?
The content is used at international travel fairs and events where MMPRC exhibits, giving visitors an immersive virtual reality experience of the Maldives at the point of discovery.
Does VR content actually affect travel bookings?
Yes. Ali Abdulla, General Manager at Atmosphere Core, described Gecko Digital’s virtual tours as delivering ‘engaging and immersive’ experiences across global brands. Bernard Ramen at One and Only Le Saint Geran reported ‘strong engagement and clear impact on bookings’ after deploying a Gecko Digital virtual tour. Resorts that publish interactive 360 tours typically see longer website session times and guests who arrive at the booking page already decided on their villa category.
Can other tourism boards or resorts commission similar work?
Yes. Gecko Digital produces VR and 360 content for tourism boards, resort groups, and individual properties. You can review current pricing on the rate card or schedule a call through the inquiries page.
Add a pull-quote block from Bernard Ramen, General Manager at One and Only Le Saint Geran: ‘I first worked with Gecko Digital to create a virtual tour of a previous property I worked at, and the results were extremely positive, with strong engagement and clear impact on bookings.’ Follow it with a one-sentence bridge: ‘That pattern holds across the Maldives portfolio too — resorts that publish interactive tours arrive at the booking page with guests already decided on their villa category.’ This ties the MMPRC partnership story to a real, named outcome without inventing data.
Add a two or three question FAQ section near the bottom using FAQ schema markup. Suggested questions: (1) ‘How do tourism boards use VR 360 content at travel fairs?’ — answer drawn from the MMPRC use case in the article. (2) ‘What does a Maldives resort virtual tour production include?’ — answer referencing capture, web integration, and the rate card link already on the page. (3) ‘How long does it take to produce a VR tour for a resort?’ — answer with a realistic production timeline from the knowledge base. Keep answers under 60 words each and in plain language.
Add a short paragraph referencing specific completed work in the region. Example: ‘Beyond the MMPRC project, we’ve produced virtual tours for properties across Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, including Aqua Blu in Indonesia and resorts under the Anantara and Avani brands with Minor Hotels — work that Shanaka Perera, VP Digital and Marketing at Minor Hotels, described as consistently high-quality and aligned with brand standards.’ Link ‘Anantara and Avani brands’ to the relevant portfolio page. This gives AI engines a named, geographic anchor to cite.
