Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Luxury Escapes Pty Ltd, one of Australia’s leading travel and lifestyle platforms, to officially represent the destination in Australia and New Zealand, with a view to expand the Maldives’ visibility across both markets.

The agreement was signed on 16 May 2026 at the Luxury Escapes headquarters in Melbourne by Ibrahim Shiuree, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Visit Maldives Corporation, and Adam Schwab, Co-Founder and CEO of Luxury Escapes. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to enhancing destination marketing initiatives and strengthening tourism engagement within Australia, a key source market for the Maldives.

Through the collaboration, both organisations will implement coordinated trade, consumer, media, and retail marketing initiatives aimed at increasing awareness of the Maldives as a leading travel destination. Planned activities include trade engagement events, retail campaigns, destination showcases, and integrated consumer marketing initiatives across key Australian markets.

Luxury Escapes will lead a series of activations including travel trade events, retail store campaigns, and destination-focused showcases featuring Maldives promotional content, destination videos, and curated travel offers. The programme will also include a dedicated Maldives feature on Luxury Escapes TV, supporting destination storytelling for Australian audiences.

As part of its media and consumer outreach efforts, Luxury Escapes will facilitate a familiarisation programme for media representatives, including participation in an inaugural direct flight experience to the Maldives. The partnership will further include travel agent training sessions, webinars, destination presentations, and targeted digital and print marketing campaigns directed at the company’s extensive consumer network.

Under the agreement, Visit Maldives Corporation will support destination coordination, stakeholder engagement, and industry communications to facilitate collaboration between Luxury Escapes and Maldives tourism stakeholders. VMC will also support efforts to strengthen engagement between tourism partners in both markets and enhance awareness of the Maldives among Australian travel professionals and consumers.

The MoU represents a value-in-kind strategic collaboration, with both parties contributing expertise, marketing reach, and industry resources to support joint promotional activities.

Luxury Escapes notes that the Maldives has long captured the imagination of Australian travellers, and that the exclusive partnership with Visit Maldives comes at an exceptionally exciting time for the destination. He highlighted that the launch of new direct flights from Melbourne to the Maldives, commencing this week, represents a significant milestone for the Australian market.

“This new accessibility will drive not only visitation but also destination desirability,” said Adam Schwab.”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.”

“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,” said Ibrahim Shiuree. “Through this collaboration, we aim to inspire more travellers and deepen connections with the trade and consumer markets. As Australia’s winter travel season aligns with the Maldives’ shoulder season, this partnership also presents an important opportunity to support more balanced year-round arrivals and enhance tourism flows during off-peak periods.”

Through this partnership, Visit Maldives and Luxury Escapes aim to further strengthen the Maldives’ presence in the Australian market, expand destination visibility, and support sustained tourism growth through coordinated marketing and trade engagement initiatives.