Emirates, a leading airline, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) to expand its presence in the growing medical tourism sector. The partnership, announced on the sidelines of ATM 2026, aims to develop structured, long-term relationships with an organization that facilitates international healthcare travel. This strategic move aligns with Emirates' goal of diversifying its services beyond traditional leisure and corporate travel.
The partnership leverages Dubai's position as a leading healthcare and medical tourism hub, combined with Emirates' extensive network of nearly 140 destinations. This creates a natural fit for sustained growth in the medical tourism sector, which has a robust long-term demand with an affluent traveller profile. Adnan Kazim, Emirates' Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, emphasized that healthcare is a significant reason for international travel, and the partnership with MTA positions Emirates to cater to premium demand.
Jonathan Edelheit, CEO and Founder of Medical Tourism Association, highlighted that the partnership provides a path for demand to reach accredited healthcare providers through Better by MTA. This collaboration aims to develop a structured approach to medical, wellness, and longevity travel as a strategic new customer segment for Emirates. The airline will work with MTA to identify key markets and medical travel corridors, particularly across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
As part of the partnership, Emirates and MTA will collaborate with providers accredited by Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) on thought leadership, industry engagement, and shared market intelligence. This aims to better understand growth opportunities in the medical travel sector and raise international best practices and standards across the sector. Emirates also aims to become the world's first GHA-accredited airline.
The Medical Tourism Association has a global network of over 500,000 healthcare providers, employers, insurers, and industry leaders, as well as millions of prospective medical and wellness travelers annually. The partnership will explore opportunities to leverage MTA's platform to help travelers identify accredited providers, coordinate treatment and travel arrangements, and pay securely across borders.
The collaboration between Emirates and MTA supports the airline's ambition to provide a seamless end-to-end medical travel experience. By integrating care coordination, travel, and payments powered by Mastercard, the partnership aims to enhance the customer experience for patients, referring physicians, insurers, and employers. This move is expected to drive growth in the medical tourism sector.
The partnership between Emirates and MTA reflects the airline's strategy to diversify its services and cater to the growing demand for medical tourism. With Dubai's standing as a leading healthcare hub and Emirates' extensive network, the partnership is poised to create a platform for sustained growth in the medical tourism sector.
Key points
- Emirates has partnered with the Medical Tourism Association to develop medical travel solutions and enhance customer experience.
- The partnership aims to leverage Dubai's position as a leading healthcare hub and Emirates' extensive network to drive growth in the medical tourism sector.
- The collaboration will focus on raising international best practices and standards across the medical tourism sector.
