ATM Dubai 2026: Emirates expands global tourism push with seven new deals
UAE airline also strengthens digital and airport retail partnerships
DUBAI – Emirates has opened Arabian Travel Market 2026 with a major expansion of its tourism partnerships, signing seven Memoranda of Understanding with tourism authorities spanning the Indian Ocean, Europe, Southeast Asia and the UAE.
The agreements cover destinations including Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Sharjah, Malaysia, Finland and Western Norway, with the airline and tourism bodies set to work together on marketing, trade engagement, familiarisation trips and initiatives designed to increase visitor flows.
The airline also renewed strategic partnerships with Huawei and Dubai Duty Free, extending its focus beyond destination promotion to digital innovation, customer experience and airport retail.
The opening day of ATM also saw His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, visit the Emirates stand. During the visit, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan sampled the airline’s new Premium Economy electric seat with privacy dividers and reviewed its design with senior Emirates leadership.
Seychelles
Emirates has renewed its partnership with the Seychelles Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, extending a relationship that began in 2013.
The agreement is aimed at stimulating inbound traffic to the Seychelles through Emirates’ global network of nearly 140 destinations. Planned activities include joint marketing campaigns and familiarisation trips for media and travel-trade partners.
Emirates currently operates two daily flights to Mahé, providing connectivity for visitors travelling from a broad range of markets.
The partnership comes as the Seychelles records continued growth in visitor arrivals. Nearly 400,000 tourists visited the island nation in 2025, up 13 per cent from 353,000 in the previous year.
Through the renewed collaboration, Emirates and the Seychelles tourism authorities will seek to build further awareness of the destination in source markets and translate that interest into travel demand.
Mauritius
Emirates and the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority have renewed their agreement to promote tourism and trade in the island nation.
The airline has supported Mauritius’ tourism ambitions for more than two decades, helping the destination reach new source markets and supporting the growth of visitor arrivals.
The renewed partnership will use Emirates’ network of agents in key markets to promote Mauritius, while the two sides will develop special packages aimed at different customer segments.
Joint familiarisation trips for media and travel-trade representatives will also form part of the collaboration, helping showcase the island’s tourism offering in important feeder markets.
Demand from the Middle East has been particularly strong. Tourist arrivals from Middle Eastern markets increased by 10.5 per cent during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year.
Emirates currently offers three daily flights to Mauritius, with weekly capacity to and from the destination standing at 19,096 seats in both directions.
Madagascar
Emirates has also partnered with Madagascar’s Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts to support the Indian Ocean island’s ambitions to increase international visitor numbers.
The collaboration will contribute to Madagascar’s target of attracting one million tourists by 2028, with Emirates using its international network to promote the destination in key markets.
Joint advertising campaigns will be supported by cooperation with tour operators and travel agencies. The partners will also explore incentives and tailored travel packages designed to encourage bookings.
Familiarisation trips for media and travel-trade representatives will provide another route for promoting Madagascar’s attractions and tourism products to potential visitors and industry partners.
The agreement gives Madagascar access to Emirates’ extensive international reach as the country seeks to expand its tourism base and attract more travellers from overseas markets.
Sharjah
Emirates and the Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority have renewed their long-standing partnership to support tourism growth in Sharjah.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, and Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority.
The two organisations have collaborated across key source markets including the GCC, India, China, the Far East Asia and Europe.
Their work has included joint sales calls, trade workshops, roadshows and familiarisation trips. Emirates has also supported Sharjah in markets where the emirate does not have local representation by connecting it with trade partners and helping facilitate further engagement.
The partnership also supports MICE activity and trade visits to Sharjah.
The renewed agreement forms part of Emirates’ wider approach to promoting inbound tourism across the UAE. The airline works with tourism authorities including Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism and the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi to encourage international visitors to experience multiple destinations during their UAE stay.
Malaysia
Emirates and Tourism Malaysia have renewed their partnership through a one-year MoU supporting the Visit Malaysia 2026-2027 campaign.
The campaign has set a target of 47 million foreign visitor arrivals, with Emirates set to support destination promotion across its international network.
The agreement will explore joint marketing and advertising initiatives, alongside familiarisation trips for media and travel-trade representatives.
Connectivity will play a central role in the partnership. Emirates operates 21 weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Dubai, while onward connections from Kuala Lumpur are available through its codeshare partnership with Batik Air.
The collaboration is designed to put Malaysia in front of travellers across Emirates’ global network while strengthening links between the destination and major international source markets.
Finland
Emirates and Visit Finland have signed an MoU to strengthen cooperation and encourage more international visitors to Finland.
The agreement comes ahead of Emirates’ planned launch of services to Helsinki on October 1. The new route will establish year-round connectivity between Finland and the UAE, creating additional opportunities for tourism and travel between the two markets.
Under the partnership, Emirates and Visit Finland will explore promotional opportunities in strategic regions across the airline’s network, including East and Southeast Asia, West Asia, Australasia, major Middle Eastern hubs and Africa.
The partners will also develop programmes for trade partners and tour operators, giving the travel industry greater insight into Finland’s tourism offering.
Promotion will focus on year-round experiences across Finland’s four main regions. These include the summer landscapes of Lakeland, the islands and forests of the Coast and Archipelago, winter experiences in Lapland and Helsinki’s urban attractions, including its sauna culture.
The collaboration aligns with Finland’s National Tourism Strategy 2025-2028, which seeks to expand tourism while generating long-term economic and social value.
Fjord Norway
Emirates has signed an agreement with Fjord Norway, the official tourism board for Western Norway, to strengthen efforts to attract international visitors to the region.
The partnership will focus on promoting Western Norway through Emirates’ global network and using the airline’s international connectivity to support the region’s tourism ambitions.
The agreement also highlights Emirates’ role in connecting travellers with destinations through its global network and travel offering.
Western Norway’s tourism board will work with the airline to raise awareness of the region among international audiences and support greater inbound visitor traffic.
Huawei
Alongside the seven tourism agreements, Emirates has renewed its long-standing strategic partnership with Huawei, reinforcing its focus on the Chinese market.
The relationship dates back to 2020 and has included the integration of the Emirates App into Huawei’s ecosystem as well as joint marketing initiatives.
The renewed MoU will focus on strengthening brand engagement in China, developing more personalised digital travel solutions and exploring new opportunities in media.
The partnership forms part of Emirates’ broader expansion in China, where the airline has increased its network, restored Airbus A380 services and introduced its Premium Economy product.
The renewed cooperation will combine digital innovation with marketing activity as Emirates seeks to strengthen its relationship with Chinese customers across the travel journey.
Dubai Duty Free
Emirates has also signed an agreement with Dubai Duty Free to offer passengers exclusive deals at Dubai Duty Free outlets across Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport.
The initiative will apply to Emirates passengers travelling to or through Dubai, giving them access to special offers while adding another element to the airport experience.
The agreement was signed by Mohammad Al Hashimi, Emirates’ Vice President, Commercial Products, Dubai, and Mona Al Ali, Dubai Duty Free’s Senior Vice President, Human Resources.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, and Ramesh Cidambi, Dubai Duty Free’s Managing Director, attended the signing.
The partnership brings together the airline and one of the world’s largest airport retailers to support passenger engagement on the ground.
It also covers joint initiatives aimed at supporting Dubai’s tourism and aviation sectors and growing passenger traffic to and through the emirate across Emirates’ network.