Dubai: Emirates has entered into eight Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with various Tourism Boards on the first day of Arabian Travel Market (ATM). The agreements aim to boost tourism by leveraging the airline's network of over 140 destinations, enhancing the visibility and appeal of the locales involved.
According to Emirates News Agency, these collaborations include partnerships with the Tourism Boards of Sharjah, The Philippines, Maldives, Visit Britain, Thailand, Japan National Tourist Organisation (JNTO), Uganda, and Hungary. Each agreement is designed to attract more travelers to experience the unique sights, culture, and attractions of these destinations, while also promoting tourism across the wider UAE.
The partnership with Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Authority (SCTDA) focuses on promoting the UAE emirate of Sharjah. This new collaboration, effective immediately, will involve joint promotional activities, bespoke packages for tour operators, and unique products marketed directly to Emirates' customers via 'Dubai Experience' on the airline's website. The partnership will also include advertising, cross-promotional marketing campaigns, familiarisation programs for the travel trade and media, and promotional competitions to encourage visits to Sharjah.
In a similar vein, the agreement with the Department of Tourism Philippines aims to promote the Southeast Asian nation, especially among tourists from the Middle East and Europe. The collaboration will explore marketing and advertising avenues to boost visitor traffic to the Philippines and organise familiarisation trips for media and tourism stakeholders from European and Middle Eastern markets.
The MoU with the Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation aims to attract more visitors to the Maldives through Emirates' global network. This strategic partnership, which has been in place since 1987, will involve joint advertising campaigns, familiarisation trips, customised travel packages, and support for business and trade opportunities in the Maldives through Emirates' cargo-handling capabilities.
Emirates has also signed a declaration of intent with VisitBritain to boost inbound tourism to the UK. This agreement will focus on joint promotions, familiarisation trips to the UK for media and travel agents, and other promotional activities to increase travel demand to key UK cities. The UK is expected to welcome 43.4 million visits in 2025, and Emirates' 133 weekly flights to/from the UK will support this growth.
The partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will see a range of marketing and promotional initiatives to drive inbound tourism from Emirates' global network to Thailand. This will include joint advertising campaigns, familiarisation trips for key media representatives, and collaborations with travel agents and tour operators.
Emirates' collaboration with the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) aims to grow tourism demand between Japan and the Middle East. The partnership will involve data sharing, joint analyses, and potential promotional campaigns to boost awareness and visitation to Japan.
The renewed MoU with the Uganda Tourism Board, initially signed in 2024, focuses on driving inbound tourism to Uganda. Since its inception, the partnership has hosted familiarisation trips for key trade partners, hoteliers, travel agency partners, and tour operators. Emirates has seen a 16% increase in passengers on the Dubai-Entebbe route since January 2025.
Lastly, the agreement with Visit Hungary aims to boost inbound tourism through joint marketing and advertising campaigns, familiarisation trips for media and travel agents, and other promotional campaigns to increase travel demand to Budapest.