Emirates signs agreement with Bahamas to boost tourism

Emirates, the Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based airline, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas to bring even more tourists to the Caribbean Island by utilizing the carrier’s network.

Jointly signed by the airline and the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism, the goal of the MoU is to work on promotional campaigns and other marketing activities, such as media and trade familiarization trips, as well as developing custom tour packages. The tour packages will be offered by the airline’s tour subsidiary, Emirates Holidays.

However, the airline does not currently offer direct flights to Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS), the archipelago’s main airport in Nassau, the Bahamas. Emirates customers can travel to the island via its code-sharing agreements with Air Canada and United Airlines, the latter of which went into effect in November 2022.

“We are pleased to collaborate with The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas in supporting its goals to boost the nation’s tourism economy,” said Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the CEO of Emirates Group. The carrier’s customers are able to “enjoy Emirates’ services to our points in North America and benefit from enhanced connectivity and access to the islands,” Al Maktoum added.

“Tourism is the lifeblood of our nation’s economy and, by growing visitor arrivals to our tropical island paradise, we hope to achieve our goals of stimulating the tourism economy and providing impetus to the business climate,” stated Tony Joudi, the Ambassador of the Bahamas to the UAE and Qatar. “The economy at large will benefit from a further boost to tourism and our country has made significant investments in infrastructure to accommodate the anticipated boom in tourism,” Joudi continued.

According to the Bahamas Investment Authority, about 50% of the country’s General Domestic Product (GDP) is composed of tourism, with financial services adding another 20%. Comparatively, the United States authority estimated that 70% of the archipelago’s GDP is composed of tourism and related sectors, employing more than half of the total workforce of the Bahamas.