GMIAL hires global agency to conduct market research survey at the airport

Upholding its efforts to improve the facilities and offerings at the Male’ International Airport, GMIAL has hired AC Nielsen, a global leader in market research, information and analysis, to conduct a thorough study of the tourists and the various stakeholders at the airport.

The survey purports to bring in an experienced agency to interact with the tourists and all the stakeholders such as resorts, sea plane operators, airlines, tour operators, airport staff, and residents of Male’ in order to fully understand their needs and concerns with the existing services, systems and infrastructure. GMIAL firmly believes that it is important to involve all the stakeholders in order to effectively plan for a bright future together.

The survey aims to deliver on three fronts. First, to address needs and desires of the tourists; second, to improve services for the benefit of stakeholders, including welfare measures for the staff; and third, to introduce new offerings, which are non‐existent in the city, for residents of Male’.

GMIAL has formed an internal team to work closely with Nielsen on every step. The first phase of the survey which involved stakeholder interactions has already been completed. The next phase is on‐going and will consist of multi‐lingual (French, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Italian, German and English) tourist interviews to ensure participation from visitors of all Nationalities. Also included in the survey are several hundred interviews of Male’ residents aiming to capture their expectations from the airport.

AC Nielsen was brought on board through a rigorous four month selection process, during which

GMIAL evaluated proposals from four world‐class research agencies. Nielsen’s demonstrated understanding of the scope of the survey, its immaculate reputation as a global leader in this space for over a hundred years, and its tie‐up with a local research agency, Think Maldives, were the key elements that led to its selection.

The findings from the survey are essential for GMIAL to effectively plan for the most desired facilities and services, which will in turn immensely improve the passenger experience at the airport – the gateway to Maldives.