Visit Maldives Corporation has appointed Luxury Escapes as its official representative in Australia and New Zealand, with the deal landing the same week the first direct flights between Melbourne and Male take off.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 15 May at Luxury Escapes’ Melbourne headquarters by Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC) chief executive and managing director Ibrahim Shiuree and Luxury Escapes co-founder and CEO Adam Schwab.
Under the agreement, the Australian travel and lifestyle platform will lead trade engagement events, retail store campaigns and destination showcases across both markets, with curated Maldives offers and a dedicated destination feature on Luxury Escapes TV.
The MoU is structured as a value-in-kind strategic collaboration rather than a paid representation contract, with both parties contributing marketing reach and industry resources to joint promotional activity, the companies said.
The timing of the appointment is no accident. Schwab said the launch of new direct flights from Melbourne to the Maldives this week represented a significant milestone for the Australian market.
That Melbourne to Male charter service, operated by Maldivian on the airline’s 263-seat A330-200 under an initial six-month arrangement, takes off on 18 May with weekly Monday departures exclusive to Luxury Escapes customers.
Packages on the route start from AU$2,599 per person, including return flights and five nights’ accommodation at selected five-star resorts.
The appointment also reflects Luxury Escapes’ existing weight in the Australian outbound Maldives market. Schwab has previously claimed the platform accounts for roughly one in every two Australian bookings to the destination, a position Visit Maldives is now formally aligning behind.
“This new accessibility will drive not only visitation but also destination desirability,” Schwab said.
“Luxury Escapes is excited to be working alongside Visit Maldives to amplify the destination’s presence in the market through integrated consumer, trade and media initiatives that will inspire travellers as we together to showcase the very best of the spectacular Maldives experience,” said Schwab.
The deal also positioned the Maldives prominently at Luxury Escapes Live, the company’s flagship consumer expo, bringing more than 10,000 travellers and 100-plus brands to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre over the weekend.
On the bricks-and-mortar side, retail activations will run through Luxury Escapes’ flagship Chadstone store and its newer Bondi Junction outlet, giving the destination physical retail visibility alongside its digital exposure.
Visit Maldives will support destination coordination, stakeholder engagement and industry communications under the agreement, working to connect Luxury Escapes with Maldives tourism operators and resort partners.
“Australia remains a key focus market for the Maldives, and this partnership with Luxury Escapes strengthens our efforts to expand destination visibility and engagement across Australia and New Zealand,” Shiuree said.
“Through this collaboration, we aim to inspire more travellers and deepen connections with the trade and consumer markets.”
The partnership will also include travel advisor training sessions, webinars and destination presentations, alongside a familiarisation programme that will see Australian media take part in an inaugural direct flight experience to the Maldives.
Schwab has previously flagged Sydney and Perth as next-in-line departure cities if the Melbourne charter performs, suggesting the ANZ representation deal could underpin a broader direct-access play into 2027.
KARRYON UNPACKS: The Maldives has long held an aspirational pull for Australian travellers, but has been hamstrung by awkward routing. Direct flights from Melbourne reset that equation, and pinning official ANZ representation to a high-volume online platform that already handles roughly half of all Australian bookings to the destination, rather than a traditional PR-led model, signals where Visit Maldives believes the volume opportunity actually sits.
