Maldives Expo Sets 25 October Opening with New Tourism District

Maldives Expo 2026 will run from 25 October to 2 November at Central Park in Hulhumalé, with a new district dedicated to the country’s visitor economy.

The official event programme lists tourism alongside creative industries, digital innovation, entertainment, the marketplace and international exhibitors. The nine-day event will also host the National Exhibition of Creativity and Innovation.

For the tourism sector, the organiser has set out space for resorts and hotel brands, guesthouses, liveaboards, destination-management businesses, service providers, island tourism representatives, airlines and travel partners.

The Visitor Economy District will include an Island Experience Pavilion with interactive displays representing different islands and atolls. Resort showcases will cover guest experiences, sustainability initiatives and investment.

A Visitor Economy Forum and Travel Marketplace are also listed, with tourism packages, deals and destination promotions forming part of the planned programme. The organiser describes the district as a new addition to the 2026 exhibition.

Products, Technology and Creative Industries

The wider exhibition covers sectors beyond travel. Its published categories include handicrafts, agriculture, fishing, transport, construction, information and communications technology, and renewable energy.

Food, machinery, woodwork, fashion, jewellery, creative arts, literature and Islamic content are also included. The programme lists exhibitions of local work, practical demonstrations involving makers and designers, and opportunities for businesses and participants to meet.

The range of categories places tourism businesses at the same event as producers working in food, craft, technology and other industries. The visitor-economy programme is one part of that broader exhibition, with its own travel-focused displays and activities.

Exhibition Builds on 2025 Event

The organiser’s published retrospective for Maldives Expo 2025 reports more than 200,000 visits, over 3,000 local products and participation by more than 600 local businesses. It also records involvement from more than 110 islands and councils.

Those are the organiser’s figures for last year’s event, rather than attendance or sales projections for the forthcoming exhibition. The visits total does not establish the number of individual people who attended.

The President’s Office record of the 2025 opening confirms that the previous Expo was inaugurated at Central Park on 23 May. President Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed toured exhibits and met participants at that event.

This year’s national creativity and innovation exhibition had already received more than 520 entries after its initial 31 August application deadline, according to the organiser’s subsequent extension notice. That notice extended the deadline for local councils and state-owned enterprises to 10 September.

The current event website confirms the October opening and November closing dates, and describes the districts and activities planned for visitors.