Located within The Atollia by Centara Hotels & Resorts, Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives marked a significant milestone in regional connectivity by hosting a distinguished delegation from Australia, in celebration of the inaugural direct air service between Australia and the Maldives.
The familiarisation visit brought together senior executives from Luxury Escapes, representatives from Maldivian, the national carrier of the Maldives, as well as leading Australian journalists, editors, and media professionals. The programme highlighted the growing strategic importance of the Australian market and its increasing connectivity to the Maldives.
The inaugural Airbus A330 service operated by Maldivian, in partnership with Luxury Escapes, establishes the first direct air connection between Australia and the Maldives, significantly enhancing accessibility and offering travellers a more seamless and time-efficient journey between the two destinations. The service operates weekly, with flights from Malé to Melbourne scheduled every Sunday, and return services from Melbourne to Malé touching down every Tuesday.
As part of the activation, Luxury Escapes, the world’s fastest growing luxury travel platform in Australia, also hosted an exclusive cocktail reception at Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives for its key partners, bringing together industry stakeholders in celebration of the new air link and strengthening commercial collaboration between the two destinations. Luxury Escapes also recently signed an MOU with Visit Maldives to manage destination representation and promotion in the Australian and New Zealand markets.
Sharing his views, Jorge Fernandez, Cluster General Manager of Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives and Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives, an underwater-themed, family-focused resort stated, “This milestone represents a pivotal step in connecting the Maldives more closely with the Australian market. We are honoured to have collaborated with Luxury Escapes, a leading travel and lifestyle platform in Australia, and to host the top executives of Luxury Escapes, along with Maldivian and leading journalists, editors, and media personalities from Australia. Luxury Escapes has been one of the resort’s top-producing partners, and this further strengthens the strategic partnership between both brands. At Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives, we remain committed to showcasing the Maldives through strategic collaborations that strengthen destination awareness and connect discerning travellers with immersive island experiences shaped by elevated hospitality, refined dining, wellness, and a distinctive sense of place.”
Luxury Escapes Chief Revenue Officer, Dan Monk said the new direct flight is a game changer. “Luxury Escapes is both proud and excited to drive more visitation, awareness and demand for Maldives tourism through not only chartering the weekly direct flight in partnership with Maldivian, but also through enthusiastically championing the destination as a world class, highly desirable luxury holiday option. We are looking forward to working with our stakeholders including Maldivian, Visit Maldives, our valued hotel partners and tourism operators to drive tourism numbers to new historic levels”