For some in the property trade, they have a hard time getting their heads around how the island nation of the Maldives is seeing a groundswell in the real estate trade.

Actually it makes absolutely sense given the destination is one of the world’s leading luxury marketplaces.  Exclusivity, privacy and stunning bucket-list scenery make it an object of desire.

A clear sign of the times is the new announcement that leading luxury villa marketing and distribution group Elite Havens has tied up with Amilla Fushi resort. The mixed-use property in addition to typical resort villas has a series of uber luxury residences ranging from four, six and eight bedrooms.

Enter the new paradigm of hotels and branded residences, with the latter tapping into a unique space in the sharing economy that requires non-traditional hospitality sales and marketing.

Elite Havens already has a vast growing portfolio of luxury villa rentals ranging from Bali to Koh Samui, Sri Lanka to Niseko, so the connection between the resort and a distribution specialist is extremely strategic.

The Maldives demand for larger villas is growing given strong demand from Eastern Europe during winter months, a mounting surge from the Middle East in summer and year-around multigenerational groups and families from Asia.

As to the real estate component, the pioneer in selling properties has been Sonu Shivdasani, first at his flagship Soneva Fushi and more recently at Soneva Jani. There is a demonstrated track resort  here of multi-million dollar transactions for ultra villas which flies under the radar of much of the property sector.

A recent development in the Maldives are new lease terms for some incoming new island project that are reclaiming land which have 99 year lease terms. This will further enable developers to extend long term secured leases to buyer and is effectively a significant inducement to the Maldivian real estate industry. Expect this market to field a growing number of offerings in the next twelve to eighteen months.