Emirates signed seven memoranda of understanding with tourism boards across the Indian Ocean, Europe, Southeast Asia and the UAE on the opening day of Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, the airline said on September 14.
The deals land at the first ATM held in its new September slot, after organisers moved the 33rd edition from its usual May dates to August and then to September 14-17 at Dubai World Trade Centre. For destinations, the value of an Emirates tie-up sits in access to feeder markets they cannot reach alone through a network of nearly 140 destinations, and the spread of this year’s signings, three Indian Ocean islands, two Nordic markets, Malaysia and Sharjah, points to where the airline sees room to convert awareness into bookings.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, visited the Emirates stand at the opening and tried the airline’s new Premium Economy electric seat with privacy dividers.
The Seychelles agreement, with the Seychelles Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, renews a partnership dating to 2013 and covers joint marketing and familiarisation trips for media and trade. Emirates operates two daily flights to Mahé. Arrivals to the islands rose 13% to nearly 400,000 in 2025 from 353,000 the previous year.
The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority renewal covers agent-network promotion, packages by customer segment and joint familiarisation trips. Emirates flies three times daily to the island, with weekly two-way capacity of 19,096 seats. Arrivals from Middle East markets grew 10.5% in the first half of 2026.
Madagascar’s Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts signed on joint advertising, tour operator incentives and trade trips, in support of a target of one million tourists by 2028.
Tourism Malaysia renewed for one year behind the Visit Malaysia 2026-2027 campaign and its target of 47mn foreign arrivals. Emirates operates 21 weekly flights between Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, with onward connections through its Batik Air codeshare.
Visit Finland signed ahead of the launch of Emirates flights to Helsinki from October 1, which will be the only year-round service between Finland and the UAE. Fjord Norway, the tourist board for western Norway, signed a separate agreement.
Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority renewed a partnership built on joint sales calls, workshops, roadshows and MICE support across the GCC, India, China, the Far East and Europe. It was signed by Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, and Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman of SCTDA, who called the renewal “a strategic step in advancing Sharjah’s tourism agenda”.
Emirates separately renewed its partnership with Huawei, running since 2020 and covering app integration and joint marketing in China, and signed an agreement with Dubai Duty Free giving Emirates passengers exclusive offers at outlets in Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport.