Emirates builds on travel partnerships to reach new audiences at ATM

DUBAI, UAE, 16 September 2026: Emirates has signed on three more destination partners and is deepening relationships with travel technology and sporting platforms, cruiseliner companies, business councils and bank partners. The partnerships aim to widen the airline’s customer base and ability to build targeted propositions around the distinct priorities of each segment.  

Emirates and the Mozambique National Agency for Tourism Development and Investment, Public Fund (ANDITUR) have partnered to support the growth of international tourism into Mozambique. The agreement will see the partners explore opportunities to promote Mozambique to international travellers in key regions through airline partnerships across Africa to provide seamless, convenient connectivity into Mozambique. With an extensive 2,500 KM of coastline, Mozambique is world-renowned for beach getaways and ocean adventures, rich cultural experiences, fusion gastronomy and bustling urban cities, making it a unique and varied holiday with something to offer travellers from all over the world.

Emirates and the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) have signed a partnership agreement to strengthen collaboration and support the growth of inbound tourism to Kenya. Already one of the most consistently in-demand destinations on the airline’s Africa network, the partnership will build on this strong demand and help unlock new opportunities for Kenya to attract visitors from emerging and established markets around the world. Tourism is a key pillar in Kenya’s economy, creating thousands of employment opportunities and serving millions of tourists who visit the country each year. The Kenya Tourism Board has bold plans to establish Kenya as the most visited tourism destination in Africa, with a year-round calendar of diverse, sustainable and authentic experiences that appeal to a swathe of international visitors.

Emirates and Alibaba Fliggy one of China's largest OTAs, have signed an MoU to strengthen their strategic partnership in China, combining Emirates’ global network with Alibaba Fliggy’s extensive digital travel platform. The collaboration will focus on co-branded marketing campaigns, customer engagement initiatives, and potential integration opportunities between Emirates Skywards and Alibaba Fliggy’s membership ecosystem. Together, the partners aim to enhance brand visibility, drive travel demand, and deliver more personalised travel experiences for Chinese consumers.

Emirates and MSC Cruises have signed an MoU that broadens their long-standing partnership across fly-cruise distribution, air-sea product integration, crew travel and customer loyalty initiatives at different touchpoints. The agreement builds on more than a decade of partnership.

Under the latest MoU, Emirates and MSC Cruises will expand fly-cruise distribution across the Emirates network in line with MSC Cruises' seasonal homeport strategy, developing through-fares, open-jaw itineraries and reviewing gateway markets to identify further opportunities for collaboration. The partnership will additionally develop tailored products for MSC Grand Voyages and repositioning cruises, drawing on the Emirates network to create seamless one-way travel options for guests sailing between regions. Emirates and MCS will explore extending the Port Rashid model in Dubai to additional cruise ports, covering terminal check-in, through-baggage solutions, coordinated transfers, and joint protocols for managing disruption and repatriation of Emirates cruise customers and MSC guests.

A new feature of the partnership includes crew mobility, and Emirates and MSC Cruises will strengthen cooperation on seafarer rotations, with Emirates positioned as a preferred carrier with dedicated crew fares, enhanced baggage allowances and specialised servicing channels catering to seafarer requirements.

Emirates signed with the Finnish Business Council (FBC), a non-profit organisation supporting Finnish businesses and professionals in the UAE, to build a relationship that helps introduce Emirates more widely to the Finnish business community, especially with the new direct Dubai–Helsinki route starting 1 October. As part of the partnership, Emirates will offer FBC members exclusive benefits, while FBC will facilitate engagement opportunities between Emirates and its member community, supporting stronger connections and ongoing interaction with its network.

Emirates has partnered with the Vietnamese Business Council (VNBC), a non-profit organisation supporting Vietnamese businesses and professionals in the UAE, to build closer ties with the Vietnamese business community. The agreement follows the announcement of additional services to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from this winter, giving members greater choice when travelling between the airline’s Vietnamese points and Dubai. Under the partnership, VNBC members will access exclusive benefits from Emirates, while VNBC will create engagement opportunities across its network and the airline.

Emirates has partnered with Cutting Edge, a leading Travel Management Company specialised in international sports tourism, to develop bespoke travel packages for fans attending major sporting events worldwide. Combining Emirates' network of close to 140 destinations with Cutting Edge's access across cricket, football, motorsports, golf and tennis, the partnership offers complete journeys that align with Emirates' sponsorship properties and other major fixtures on the sporting calendar.

Emirates Holidays, the tour operating arm of Emirates Airline, and the Spain Tourism Office have signed an MoU to drive inbound tourism to Spain. The partnership aims to inspiring more travellers from Emirates’ extensive Middle East network to experience Spain's rich culture, diverse landscapes and world-class hospitality, through Emirates Holidays’ curated packages.

The partnership will see Emirates Holidays and the Spain Tourism Office explore a series of initiatives designed to increase destination awareness in key markets across the Middle East and encourage package holiday bookings. These include integrated marketing campaigns, seasonal promotions highlighting the variety of tourism experiences in Spain as well as exclusive holiday packages combining Emirates' award-winning flights with premium accommodation, unique local experiences and added traveller benefits.

Emirates Skywards and Emirates Islamic have strengthened their long-standing partnership through the renewal of the strategic agreement at ATM, committing to a continued focus on product innovation and enhancing the benefits and experiences available to the Emirates Islamic Skywards cobrand cardholders.

Building on an 18-year collaboration, the partnership has grown to span three Emirates Skywards cobranded cards, including the award-winning metal Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Card, as well as a co-branded Savings Account, Salary Transfer proposition and a Miles exchange product.

The partnership began with the launch of the Emirates Islamic Skywards Card in 2008, which marked the introduction of the first Islamic co-branded airline credit card in the region, bringing together Emirates Islamic’s Shariah-compliant banking proposition with the benefits of the Emirates Skywards loyalty programme.  The 2026 agreement will continue to focus on product innovation and delivering enhanced, more personalised benefits and experiences for Emirates Skywards co-brand cardholders, further strengthening the value proposition for Emirates Islamic customers.