A major Middle Eastern airline and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have signed an agreement to jointly promote tourism to The Bahamas.

Emirates and the ministry sealed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise a partnership designed to further develop The Bahamas tourism industry and trade economy. The agreement was reached at the Arabian Travel Market 2025 in Dubai.

The MoU was signed by Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ deputy president and chief commercial officer,  and Tony Joudi, Ambassador of The Bahamas to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the state of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Also present at the signing ceremony were Thierry Aucoc, Emirates’ senior vice-president of commercial operations (west); Anthony Stewart, senior director of emerging markets at the Ministry of Tourism; Eugene Poitier, deputy chief of mission at The Bahamas Embassy in the UAE; Pretia Dean, first secretary, Bahamas Embassy in the UAE; and Michael Paddon, official in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Mr Kazim  said: “We are pleased to collaborate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas to promote the Caribbean nation as a key leisure destination to our global customers. By joining forces, Emirates hopes to support The Bahamas’ tourism ambitions and to play a role in boosting the nation’s tourism economy.

“While Emirates serves 14 points in the US and Canada, our partnerships with United and Air Canada will help us to extend our reach, offer connectivity to travellers and eventually support traffic flows into The Bahamas, with their respective services to Nassau via select points in North America.”

Mr Joudi added: “We are grateful to Emirates’ unwavering support to The Bahamas, and thank their leaders for their outreach and vision in making and creating an extensive international network and reputation for a superior passenger service - unparalleled travel access strongly aligned with Ministry of Tourism’s international strategic plan.

“The collaboration exemplifies a shared commitment to enhancing The Bahamas’ global connectivity and tourism appeal, which will significantly contribute to the country’s economic growth and international standing.”

Under the MoU, both parties will partner on joint promotional campaigns in key markets to benefit the airline and boost tourist arrivals into The Bahamas. These initiatives will showcase The Bahamas’ appeal to visitors and holiday makers.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will support Emirates’ efforts by providing tour operators and travel agents in key target markets across the Emirates network with promotional giveaways, special promotional packages, incentives and marketing spend. Emirates and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also seek to support media and trade familiarisation trips to highlight The Bahamas’ tourism product offering.

Emirates currently flies to 12 destinations in the US in addition to Toronto and Montreal. Emirates’ customers from across its global network can use its services to fly to US destinations and connect to Nassau with its codeshare partner, United Airlines, via Houston, or on Air Canada’s services by connecting in Toronto.