Emirates joins hands with Medical Tourism Association to tap high-value travel
Emirates X MTA
As MTA’s Airline partner, the aim is to identify key markets and medical travel corridors, particularly across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and develop tailored travel solutions as well as an enhanced customer experience designed around the needs of patients, referring physicians, insurers and employers.
Emirates has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) signalling a focused push to grow the airline's footprint in one of the fastest-growing verticals in international travel: medical tourism.
The agreement said to reflect Emirates' strategy of going beyond traditional leisure and corporate travel to build structured, long-term relationships with an organisation that sits at the centre of how people travel for medical purposes.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, said, "Healthcare is among the most important reasons people travel internationally and is growing significantly. Our newly established partnership with MTA positions Emirates where premium demand is heading, and our network and superior products both onboard and on the ground provide a natural platform to serve these travellers. The insights we gain from working with MTA will also help us develop product propositions that are genuinely tailored to how these travellers plan, book and experience their journeys."
Jonathan Edelheit, CEO and Founder of Medical Tourism Association said: “Hospitals and clinics have spent years trying to reach international patients one relationship at a time. What changes with this partnership is that the demand now has a path, from a global airline to an accredited provider, through Better by MTA. The providers who meet the standard will be the ones that path leads to."
Beyond commercially developing this new and evolving segment for the airline, the agreement will pursue raising international best practices and standards across the sector. Emirates and MTA will collaborate with providers accredited by Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA), the sector's accreditation body, on thought leadership, industry engagement, and shared market intelligence to better understand medical travel sector's growth opportunities.
