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DUBAI — Emirates has renewed its strategic partnership with the Seychelles Tourism Board and the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture, as the Indian Ocean destination looks to build on strong growth in international visitor arrivals.
The three parties signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the opening day of Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, extending a tourism partnership that dates back to 2013.
Under the renewed agreement, Emirates, the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MTC) will collaborate on initiatives aimed at increasing inbound travel to the archipelago. These will include joint marketing and advertising campaigns as well as familiarisation trips for international media and travel trade partners.
The agreement comes after Seychelles recorded almost 400,000 visitor arrivals in 2025, up 13% from approximately 353,000 in 2024. Tourist arrivals have also more than doubled compared with 2021 levels, according to figures cited in the announcement.
Emirates currently operates twice-daily services between Dubai and Mahé, providing 14 flights a week and connecting Seychelles through the airline’s Dubai hub with markets across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and beyond.
Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates’ Senior Vice President for Commercial Operations, West Asia and Indian Ocean, said the renewed partnership reflected the airline’s commitment to supporting Seychelles’ tourism ambitions.
“With two daily flights connecting our network to Seychelles, we are well positioned to help drive visitor demand and further contribute to the growth of the country’s tourism sector,” Ahmad said.
The MoU was signed by Ahmad; Seychelles Minister of Tourism and Culture Amanda Bernstein; and Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Vesna Rakiฤ, in the presence of Emirates representatives.
Rakiฤ described Emirates as one of Seychelles’ longest-standing airline partners and said its Dubai services provide important connectivity to key international source markets.
“Renewing this agreement builds on a relationship founded on consistent service and close cooperation, while enabling us to strengthen joint marketing and travel trade engagement,” she said.
Seychelles draws a mix of first-time and repeat holidaymakers, with the UAE, Germany, Russia, France, the UK and South Africa among markets highlighted in the announcement. The island nation’s beaches and resort offering remain major attractions for international leisure travellers.
The renewed tourism agreement also follows an expansion of cooperation between Emirates and national carrier Air Seychelles.
In 2025, the two airlines established a codeshare partnership enabling Emirates passengers to connect to Air Seychelles-operated flights between Mahé and Praslin. The arrangement provides Emirates customers with onward island-to-island connectivity to one of Seychelles’ major tourism destinations.
Emirates said a significant proportion of passengers travelling on its Seychelles services originate from European markets including France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The latest agreement is expected to focus on using Emirates’ international network alongside coordinated destination marketing to sustain Seychelles’ tourism growth and attract visitors from established and emerging markets.
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