By Staff Reporter
Dubai — Emirates has signed seven tourism agreements covering destinations across the Indian Ocean, Europe, Southeast Asia and the UAE as the airline expands efforts to boost international tourism through its global network.
The agreements, signed during Arabian Travel Market 2026, cover Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Sharjah, Malaysia, Finland and Western Norway.
The partnerships include joint marketing campaigns, travel trade programmes, promotional packages and familiarisation trips for media and tourism professionals.
Emirates renewed its partnership with the Seychelles Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, extending a relationship that began in 2013. The airline currently operates two daily flights to Mahé.
Seychelles recorded nearly 400,000 visitor arrivals in 2025, up 13 per cent from 353,000 the previous year.
The airline also renewed its agreement with the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, continuing a partnership that has supported the island’s tourism sector for more than 20 years.
Tourist arrivals to Mauritius from Middle Eastern markets increased by 10.5 per cent during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year. Emirates operates three daily flights to Mauritius, providing 19,096 seats per week in both directions.
In Madagascar, Emirates signed an agreement with the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts to support the country’s target of attracting one million tourists by 2028.
The partnership will promote Madagascar in key international markets through advertising campaigns, incentives, tourism packages and familiarisation trips.
Emirates also renewed its tourism partnership with the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority. The agreement will promote Sharjah across markets including the GCC, India, China, Far East Asia and Europe.
In Malaysia, Emirates and Tourism Malaysia renewed a one-year agreement supporting the Visit Malaysia 2026–2027 campaign, which aims to attract 47 million international visitors.
Emirates operates 21 weekly flights between Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, with onward connections available through its codeshare partnership with Batik Air.
The airline also signed an agreement with Visit Finland ahead of the launch of its Helsinki service on October 1.
The new route is expected to provide year-round connectivity between Finland and the UAE. The tourism partnership will promote Finland across markets in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia.
Emirates will promote Finland’s four major tourism regions — Lakeland, Coast and Archipelago, Lapland and Helsinki.
A separate agreement with Fjord Norway will support efforts to attract more international visitors to Western Norway through Emirates’ global network.
Beyond tourism partnerships, Emirates renewed its strategic agreement with Huawei covering digital innovation, marketing and customer experience.
The collaboration, which began in 2020, includes the Emirates App’s integration into Huawei’s ecosystem, digital travel services and marketing initiatives in China.
Emirates also signed an agreement with Dubai Duty Free to offer passengers travelling to or through Dubai exclusive promotions at outlets in Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport.
The airline said the partnership will support joint initiatives designed to enhance the passenger experience and increase visitor traffic through Dubai.
