Tahiti Tourisme has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Luxury Travel Collection (LTC), Australasia’s leading luxury travel membership organisation.
The two-year MOU represents the most substantial luxury-trade commitment made in the Australian market for The Islands of Tahiti in more than 17 years.
The partnership was formalised in Sydney by Bud Gilroy, Chairman of the Board of Tahiti Tourisme, and Nikki Glading, General Manager of LTC (main image).
The agreement anchors both parties’ preparation for Air Tahiti Nui’s new direct service between Sydney and Papeete, launching on December 15.
The new service will restore direct non-stop connectivity between the two cities, operating twice weekly year-round on Air Tahiti Nui’s 294-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and supported by a codeshare with Qantas.
The route adds more than 60,000 seats annually, removes the need to transit via Auckland and reduces travel time from 12+ hours to approximately eight.
Conrad Bora Bora Resort
Under the partnership, LTC’s 600+ luxury advisors across 35+ member agencies will be supported by a dedicated programme covering destination training, curated luxury product and in-destination immersion opportunities.
The Tahiti Specialist Programme (TSP) becomes the primary credential for LTC advisors selling The Islands of Tahiti, hosted through LTC’s Galeries de Luxe collection, with certification the pathway to places on dedicated LTC Immersions, LTC-specific value-adds, and advisor-incentive programmes.
“The launch of Air Tahiti Nui’s direct service from Sydney is a defining moment for The Islands of Tahiti in Australia,” said Mr Gilroy.
“Signing this MOU with The Luxury Travel Collection means we arrive at that moment with the network, the expertise and the reach to make the new route a genuine commercial success – and to introduce discerning Australian travellers to the depth of what our five archipelagos offer.”
“This is an incredibly exciting moment for our members,” said Ms Glading. “The Islands of Tahiti is a natural fit for the discerning travellers our advisors serve, and new direct air access opens up an extraordinary luxury destination to the Australian market in a way we haven’t seen before.
“From certified training and carefully curated luxury product to immersive experiences in destination for our leading advisors, we’re bringing our members closer to Tahiti, its people and its product, so they can, in turn, unlock something truly exceptional for their clients.”
The Islands of Tahiti welcomed 281,000 tourists in 2025, marking a third consecutive record year.
Australia is the destination’s fastest-growing source market and the December direct service is expected to unlock premium leisure, honeymoon and multi-generational travel segments at scale for the first time in a generation.
