How MaldivesQuest selects and verifies travel partners

A travel company has to pass a set of checks before MaldivesQuest passes it any trip brief. The core test is a valid MOTAC licence that anyone can see on MOTAC's public search.

This page covers how the partner is chosen and how your consent controls what reaches it. For the hand-over itself, see who arranges and books a trip requested through MaldivesQuest, and for the wider policies, the trust and transaction clarity hub.

Why a MOTAC licence is the starting point

In Malaysia, operating a travel business without a MOTAC licence is an offence under the Tourism Industry Act 1992. A licensed company is accountable to the regulator, which matters if anything goes wrong with a booking.

So the first check is simple: the company's licence must appear as valid on MOTAC's semakan TOBTAB search, in the same company name that will appear on quotations.

The partner checklist

These are the checks a provider must pass before it receives any brief, and keep passing while it does.

• Valid MOTAC licence on semakan TOBTAB, in the company's registered name.
• Licence category suits the work: outbound travel for Malaysians.
• Quotations in its own name, showing the MOTAC licence number on every quotation.
• Payment to its own accounts, so travellers pay the company named on the quotation.
• Clear written terms for deposits, balance dates, changes and cancellations.
• Itemised quotations stating the price basis, nights, board, transfers, taxes and Green Tax.
• Data handled under the PDPA 2010, used only to quote and book the traveller's trip.
• Responsive contact for travellers before and during the trip.

How your consent controls the hand-over

Your brief goes to the travel provider only if you tick the consent box on the enquiry form. That box is separate from any marketing opt-in.

What is passed on is the brief: trip details, name, contact details and preferences. The form never collects passport, IC or date of birth.

You can withdraw consent at any time. How we store and delete brief data is covered in how MaldivesQuest handles enquiry data.

Ongoing checks after appointment

The licence check is repeated on MOTAC's search after appointment, and straight away whenever a traveller raises a concern.

We also read the quotations that travellers share with us against our own research. If quotations regularly miss inclusions or misstate taxes, we raise it with the provider and, if it continues, stop passing briefs on.

Your own check still matters

Every quotation names the company issuing it and its MOTAC licence number. Look that number up yourself before you pay, using our step-by-step guide on verifying the licence of the company issuing your booking.

If the name or number on the quotation does not match the MOTAC record, pause and tell us before paying anything.

How the partner relationship is funded

MaldivesQuest may earn a referral fee from the provider when a trip is booked. That arrangement never replaces the checks above, and the details are on how MaldivesQuest earns referral revenue.

Warning signs that would stop a hand-over

Some signs mean a brief should not be passed on, whoever the company is. They are also useful for checking any Maldives package you find elsewhere.

• The company name on the quotation differs from the name on the MOTAC record.
• Payment is requested into a personal account rather than the company's account.
• The quotation leaves out the price basis, the number of nights or the transfer type.
• Taxes are described vaguely, with no mention of Tourism GST, service charge or Green Tax.
• Pressure to pay a deposit within hours, before you have had time to check the licence.

Any one of these is a reason to pause. Several together are a reason to look elsewhere.