ATM 2023: UAE’s Emirates signs 3 MoUs with Indonesia, Morocco, Zimbabwe

UAE carrier Emirates signed three memorandum of understandings (MoUs) on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM).

The three agreements,  intended to encourage inbound travel and bolster visitor numbers, were signed with Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, the Moroccan National Tourism Office, and the Tourism Authority of Zimbabwe.

Emirates currently operates 28 weekly flights to Denpasar and Jakarta in Indonesia; daily flights to Casablanca in Morocco and seven weekly flights to Harare in Zimbabwe, linked to Lusaka, Zambia.

Emirates commits to supporting tourism in Indonesia

The airline has committed to supporting Indonesia’s travel and tourism sector by launching joint marketing campaigns and initiatives. It will further support tourism flows from key markets in its global network – including the UK, US, Germany, France, Italy and Spain – to the Southeast Asian destination.

Emirates and Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy first launched their partnership in 2021, building a solid framework that enabled the airline to aid Indonesia’s tourism recovery.

The airline also announced partnerships with Garuda Indonesia and Batik Air in 2022, to offer increased connectivity options to 29 additional domestic cities beyond Jakarta and Denpasar for travellers.

Emirates will be deploying its flagship A380 from June 1 to Denpasar to serve growing customer demand.

Emirates has signed three Memorandum of Understandings with the tourism authorities of Morocco, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe on day two of @ATMDubai. https://t.co/qfmORr4uou pic.twitter.com/nNNLhavEAm

— Emirates (@emirates) May 2, 2023

Showcasing Morocco’s attractions

The carrier’s new partnership with the Moroccan National Tourism Office aims to boost the inflow of visitors and showcase Morocco’s attractions in new and existing source markets.

Both entities will explore cooperation covering joint marketing activities, including familiarisation trips to Morocco, promotional plans and advertising campaigns, and joint activities with trade partners in key identified markets within GCC, West Asia and the Indian Ocean, and Far East.

Morocco has taken significant strides in establishing itself as a popular travel destination and continues to witness an increase in tourist arrivals having welcomed 11 million tourists in 2022 and a 17 per cent growth in Q1 2023.

Emirates recently began deploying its flagship A380 to Casablanca to meet increasing travel demand in and out of Morocco.

In May 2022, the airline signed a codeshare agreement with Royal Air Maroc offering customers seamless connections and more choice across both airlines’ networks.

The carrier’s customers can access 17 destinations in Morocco beyond Casablanca, and through the codeshare, the airline has been instrumental in supporting inbound tourism to domestic points in Morocco such as Agadir, the historic western city of Marrakech, Tangiers and others.

Alliance with Zimbabwe’s tourism authority

Emirates will also be working with Zimbabwe’s Tourism Authority of Zimbabwe to further boost inbound tourist arrivals.

Under the agreement, Emirates along with the tourism authority will carry out joint marketing efforts that include tourism promotions, and organising familiarisation trips for trade and media, among other activities.

The entities will also look at opportunities for joint advertising campaigns in key markets.

In recent news, Emirates opened a new city check-in and travel store in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), as part of the carrier’s broader strategies to enhance customer experience.

Read: Emirates unveils new ‘city check-in and travel store’ in DIFC

The new city check-in and travel store, which is located in the elite ICD Brookfield Place, allows customers to conveniently book travel, check-in for flights, drop luggage and shop for travel essentials to save time at the airport.

The new facility has a prime and premium location for busy professionals in Dubai’s finance hub and allows customers to drop their luggage as early as 24 hours and up to four hours before a flight.

The travel store offers seamless service via self-check-in kiosks, at dedicated desks with Emirates agents or with the help of the airline’s check-in robot assistant – Sara.