New tour operators always make promises at launch. What matters is whether agents actually believe them. Maplelux Holidays took a smart approach: rather than a press release, they hosted an event. About 70 travel agents, media and airline partners gathered at the Perfect Chinese Restaurant this week to meet Canada's newest tour operator, and by the end of the presentations, it was clear this was no quiet debut.

A Room Full of Partners

The guest list told its own story. Air Canada, China Eastern Airlines, Air China and China Southern Airlines were all in the room, alongside TravelSavers — a lineup that signals just how seriously the airline side of the industry is already taking this new operator. Maplelux itself showed up with what one guest simply called “quite an extensive team,” a detail that mattered: agents weren't just hearing a pitch from a founder or two; they were meeting the people they'll actually be working with.

“Today’s presentation is about opportunities,” said Hugo Rocha, General Manager at Maplelux Holidays, telling agents what Maplelux Holidays is all about: competitive Caribbean pricing, an expanding FAM program, and — perhaps most importantly for the agents in the room — concrete tools to help them grow their own businesses.

From One Store to Five Locations

To understand where Maplelux is headed, it helps to know where it came from. The company is the tour operator arm of Ali Travel, which has been sending thousands of customers around the world since 2019. Ali Travel’s Vice President, George Chang, used his time on stage to walk the room through that history rather than lead with a sales pitch — a choice that said something about how Maplelux Holidays wants to be seen.

"We started our operations in 2019 with one retail store and three employees. Today we have five locations, run weekly tours to the Caribbean, and we send thousands of travellers to China every year. We wanted to serve Canadian travellers better — so that’s why we built MapleLux Holidays," said George.

When asked directly what has driven five years of growth, George didn’t point to price, product or commission first.

"What made us successful? Customer service, plain and simple. Customer retention matters enormously to us, and we're always looking to build on that. Our staff goes beyond regular hours to help — that's just how we operate. We offer the best product, the best prices, the best commission, but none of that matters as much as how we treat our customers. We're not chasing quick wins here; we're building relationships that last," George, Vice President, Ali Travel.

What Maplelux Offers

On the product side, Maplelux is pitching itself around four pillars: strong travel agent partnerships built on competitive commissions, incentives and dedicated support; global destinations with a stated specialty in Asia and expanding worldwide programs; itineraries running 3 to 15 nights built around premium hotels and authentic experiences; and a best-seller lineup that mixes escorted and private journeys for every type of traveller.

On the commission side, Maplelux Holidays gave agents something concrete to plan around: a standard 10% commission rate, applied consistently across the product line rather than varying by destination or package.

The company organizes its actual travel experiences around four themes:

• History & Heritage showcases Machu Picchu, Luxor, the Great Wall of China, Kyoto and other UNESCO World Heritage sites.
• Cultural Discovery is about meeting local communities, sampling regional cuisine, and taking in festivals, traditional crafts and workshops. 
• Art & Architecture spans historic architecture, ancient temples, world-famous museums and modern cityscapes. 
• Scenic Adventure takes travellers through Banff, Yellowstone, and more.

Maplelux's featured destinations reach five regions: Banff and Whistler in Canada plus Yellowstone in the U.S. for North America; Argentina, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Peru for Latin America; Turkey in the Middle East; Egypt and Morocco in Africa; and China, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam across Asia.

The Partnership Model: More Than Commission

If there was a theme to the afternoon beyond the product itself, it was this: Maplelux Holidays wants agents to see it as a partner first and a supplier second. Hugo Rocha returned to that idea more than once.

"We're flexible, and we'll go the extra mile for the customer. We want repeat customers — that's how we will succeed, by building long-term relationships," said Hugo.

It's a message that only lands if the product backs it up, and Maplelux Holidays spent a good part of the presentation making sure it did — starting with the destination getting the most attention in the room: China.

China Takes Centre Stage

“China is a very diverse country and offers a lot to a wide range of travellers,” the Maplelux team told the room, and the group tour lineup was built to prove it. Every group tour comes with a dedicated, professional tour leader who accompanies clients from their departure airport through every stage of the journey until they return home — the kind of detail that makes a group tour an easier sell for agents whose clients are nervous about travelling somewhere unfamiliar.

The itineraries themselves range from a first taste of the country to a much deeper dive. Amazing China (8 nights) covers Beijing, Suzhou, Shanghai and Hangzhou and is offered this year as a FAM. Mystical China (11 days) goes considerably further, moving through Shanghai, the Wudang Mountains, Zhangjiajie and the Panda Sanctuary, with five-star hotels, daily breakfast, most meals, a local flight and high-speed rail all included. For clients who want to combine destinations, Highlights of China and Thailand (13 days) pairs the Great Wall and the Forbidden City with Shanghai and Bangkok, while Icons of Japan (9 days) covers Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya and the Mount Fuji region by high-speed rail.

Behind it all is one carefully chosen partner: Discover The Beauty of China, one of the country's most established destination management companies. Founded in 2009, the company has hosted distinguished guests including members of the Obama and Biden families, along with foreign government delegations and VIPs from major corporations — a track record senior representative Qi pointed to as proof of the level of service Maplelux clients can expect. Qi also made a point of noting how selective the DMC is about who it works with, and that Maplelux is its exclusive partner in Canada and preferred provider for premium, English-speaking private tours. That relationship is what underwrites the support clients get "from the moment they arrive" until they're back home.

Private Tours, Caribbean Value

Not every client wants a group, and Maplelux has an answer for that too. Its private tour program guarantees departures from as few as two travellers, caps groups at four guests, and moves clients around in six-seat vehicles for a more personal, flexibly paced trip. There are 17 private tour options currently listed on the company’s website, including the Japan Grand Traverse (11 days/10 nights through Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Osaka, Kurashiki and Hiroshima, from about $4,199 per person), a 4-day/3-night Xi’an Short Stay built around the Terracotta Warriors (from $749 per person), and a 4-day/3-night Guilin itinerary with a Li River cruise (from $799 per person).

Asia wasn’t the only market on offer. Maplelux Holidays also highlighted its Caribbean all-inclusive pricing, for example. Puerto Plata packages starting from $500 CAD with flights included, and Cancun from roughly $1,000 CAD, with airport transfers built into every package (prices shown are before departure taxes). Current promotions are posted on the company website.

Giveaways & FAMs

The breakfast event wasn't just presentations — the airline partners, telecom sponsor iTalkBB, and Maplelux itself kept the giveaways coming throughout the event. Agents walked away with everything from free trips to eSIMs and custom merchandise.

Maplelux Holidays is entering the Canadian market with not one, but TWO fall FAM trips already on the calendar:

FAM Amazing China (9 days / 8 nights) is structured around key cities with optional excursions built in, giving agents flexibility to explore what interests them most. It's a practical, well-rounded introduction to what Maplelux does in this market. Read more. 

Mystical China (12 days / 11 nights) takes a very different approach. Positioned as an ultra-luxury experience, the itinerary moves through modern and historic cities, takes in dramatic natural landscapes, and includes local flights, extensive excursions, and most meals — the kind of program that sells itself when agents have actually experienced it. Read more.

Global Agents will soon be sharing travel tips for first-time visitors to China — stay tuned and check our website for updates.

What’s Next

Maplelux Holidays said it’s already planning three to four FAM trips for agents next year and is actively looking for agent feedback to shape what comes after that — a sign that this was meant to be the start of a conversation, not the end of one. For a company built on five years of momentum at Ali Travel, the pitch to the Canadian trade wasn’t about being the newest name in the room. It was about proving that name is worth remembering.

Head to mapleluxholidays.com to see everything Maplelux Holidays has to offer!

By Kateryna Ivchenko