Emirates has sealed an agreement with the Bahamian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote tourism in the Caribbean archipelago. The airline and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism will embark on joint initiatives to increase visitor traffic to islands in key Emirates network markets.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Group and HE Tony Joudi, Ambassador of the Bahamas to the United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar at the headquarters of the Emirates group. Also present at the signing ceremony were Adnan Kazim, Emirates Chief Commercial Officer and Salem Obaidalla, Emirates Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for the Americas.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and CEO of the Emirates Group, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs in support of its objectives to boost the country’s tourism economy. . Through our partnerships with United and Air Canada, we look forward to playing a key role in promoting The Bahamas as a premier leisure destination. Our global customers across our network can enjoy Emirates services to our points in North America and benefit from improved connectivity and access to the islands.

His Excellency Tony Joudi, Ambassador of the Bahamas to the United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar, said: “I would like to thank Emirates for playing a role in strengthening the ties between the two countries. Tourism is the engine of our country’s economy, and by increasing the number of visitors to our tropical island paradise, we hope to achieve our goals of stimulating the tourism economy and strengthening the business climate.

“Emirates is a catalyst for global connectivity and connects East to West and we look forward to working closely with the airline to help us achieve our tourism goals. The wider economy will benefit from a new tourist impetus and our country has made significant investments in infrastructure to cope with the expected tourist boom.On behalf of the Government of the Bahamas and the people of the nation, we hope to organize a familiarization trip earlier this year for the influencers and the media experience first-hand the best our country has to offer and promote it as a top tourist destination for their audiences,” Joudi continued.

Spread across 16 main islands, the Bahamas is home to more than 100,000 square miles of the world’s clearest ocean. Its coveted beaches and pristine coastlines make the Bahamas one of the Caribbean’s most popular tourist destinations, offering a rich mix of leisure and cultural activities for visitors.

As part of the MoU, the two parties will partner on joint promotional campaigns to benefit the airline and increase tourist arrivals to the Bahamas, enhancing the destination’s appeal to visitors and tourists. . The deal will also include marketing activities, including media and corporate familiarization trips in the first quarter of 2023, and the development of bespoke tourism packages, through its operating arm Emirates Holidays, which can be booked by customers on the airline’s extensive network. . The two parties have also agreed to explore opportunities to collaborate on joint advertising campaigns to promote the Antilles destination.

Emirates currently serves 12 points in the United States in addition to Toronto. Emirates customers across its global network can use its services to fly to US destinations such as Houston, Chicago or Newark, before connecting to Nassau on United, thanks to the partnership between the two airlines. Travelers can also fly to the Bahamas via Toronto, with Canadian flag carrier Air Canada, which activated its codeshare partnership in November.

While the majority of visitor traffic to the Bahamas is made up of travelers from the United States and Canada, the Bahamas also attracts tourists from other international points on the Emirates network, including the United Arab Emirates, Greece, India, China, the Philippines and Singapore.

Currently, Emirates customers can connect to Nassau Airport on codeshare flights with Air Canada via Toronto and from major US airports including Houston (IAH), Newark (EWR) and Chicago (ORD) on interline flights with United. Emirates operates a modern fleet of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft to a network of over 130 destinations on six continents.