Emirates Partners with MTA to Grow Medical Tourism
Emirates has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) to develop opportunities in medical, wellness and longevity travel. Announced on the sidelines of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 in Dubai, the agreement marks a strategic move by the airline to build stronger relationships within the international healthcare travel sector.
The partnership aims to combine Emirates’ global network with Dubai’s position as a healthcare and medical tourism destination. The two organisations plan to explore medical travel corridors, develop tailored travel solutions and improve the journey for patients and other travellers seeking healthcare services abroad.
The agreement also focuses on industry standards, market intelligence and collaboration with accredited healthcare providers. Through this initiative, Emirates intends to better understand the needs of medical travellers and explore how its products and services can support this growing travel segment.
Emirates Expands Its Medical Tourism Strategy
Emirates is looking beyond traditional leisure and corporate travel by developing a more structured approach to medical tourism. The agreement with MTA is intended to help the airline build long-term relationships across a sector that connects international patients with hospitals, clinics and healthcare services in other countries.
Medical tourism often involves more complex planning than conventional holidays. Travellers may need to coordinate appointments, treatment schedules, accommodation, transport and communication with healthcare providers. Patients may also travel with family members or companions, creating additional considerations when arranging their journeys.
By working with MTA, Emirates aims to gain insights into how medical and wellness travellers plan, book and experience international trips. These insights could inform travel propositions that better address the needs of patients, referring physicians, insurers and employers.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, said healthcare was an important reason for international travel and that the partnership would help the airline position itself within this market. He also highlighted the potential to use Emirates’ network and onboard and ground products to serve medical travellers more effectively.
Medical Tourism Association Partnership Targets Global Travel Corridors
The Medical Tourism Association will work with Emirates to identify key markets and medical travel corridors, particularly across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The partnership aims to connect international demand with suitable healthcare destinations and providers. By combining the airline’s route network with MTA’s industry relationships, the organisations intend to explore ways to make medical and wellness travel more accessible and coordinated.
The agreement positions Emirates as MTA’s preferred airline partner for international medical and wellness travellers. It also creates a framework for exploring travel solutions designed around the requirements of people travelling for treatment, wellness services and longevity-related care.
The organisations will also examine opportunities to improve the customer experience across the medical travel journey. This could involve helping travellers identify relevant healthcare providers and coordinate travel arrangements, subject to the services and capabilities developed through the partnership.
Jonathan Edelheit, CEO and Founder of the Medical Tourism Association, said the collaboration could help healthcare providers connect with international patients through a more structured pathway. He highlighted the role of accredited providers and the Better by MTA platform in linking demand with healthcare organisations that meet relevant standards.
Dubai’s Role as a Medical Tourism Destination
Dubai is an important part of the partnership’s strategy. The emirate has developed a healthcare and wellness offering that attracts international attention, while its aviation connectivity makes it accessible to travellers from markets across several continents.
For patients considering treatment abroad, destination choice can depend on more than the clinical service itself. Travel connectivity, accommodation options, support services and the ability to coordinate appointments can all influence the overall experience.
Emirates’ international network, covering close to 140 destinations according to the announcement, provides a potential connection between patients and healthcare destinations. The partnership aims to build on this connectivity by identifying priority markets and exploring travel arrangements suited to medical and wellness journeys.
The agreement could also strengthen the relationship between Dubai’s travel and healthcare sectors. However, the announcement does not specify particular treatment routes, launch dates or new medical travel packages. Any future offerings will depend on the work carried out by the two organisations and their participating partners.
Collaboration with Accredited Healthcare Providers
A central element of the agreement is collaboration with healthcare providers accredited by Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA), which focuses on standards for medical travel and patient experience.
Emirates and MTA plan to work with accredited providers on thought leadership, industry engagement and shared market intelligence. The objective is to develop a clearer understanding of the medical travel sector and identify opportunities for responsible growth.
Accreditation can help international patients and organisations assess healthcare providers against defined standards. In medical tourism, where patients may be unfamiliar with providers in another country, transparent information and clear processes can be particularly important.
The partnership also supports Emirates’ ambition to become the world’s first GHA-accredited airline. This remains an ambition rather than a completed accreditation, and progress will depend on the applicable assessment and accreditation process.
Through engagement with accredited providers, the organisations aim to encourage stronger practices and a more coordinated approach to international medical travel.
Better by MTA and the Medical Travel Journey
The Medical Tourism Association has a global network that includes more than 500,000 healthcare providers, employers, insurers and industry leaders. According to the announcement, its platforms also reach millions of prospective medical and wellness travellers annually, supported by government relationships across more than 100 countries.
As part of the partnership, Emirates and MTA will explore opportunities to use the association’s platform to help travellers identify accredited providers, coordinate treatment and travel arrangements, and make secure cross-border payments.
The initiative includes the potential use of Better by MTA, alongside care coordination and payment capabilities powered by Mastercard®. The organisations intend to explore how these elements could contribute to a more connected end-to-end medical travel experience.
For patients, a coordinated process could help reduce the complexity of organising travel around healthcare appointments. For providers, a more structured connection with international travellers could support engagement with prospective patients across markets.
The details of any future integrated service, including its availability and the markets it will cover, have not yet been announced.
Emirates Looks to Develop Tailored Medical and Wellness Travel Solutions
The agreement provides a basis for Emirates to explore travel products and services that respond to the distinct requirements of medical and wellness travellers.
Unlike conventional leisure travel, medical journeys may require flexibility around appointment times, recovery periods, travel companions and return arrangements. Wellness and longevity travel can also involve specialised experiences and services that require careful planning.
By using insights from MTA and its network, Emirates aims to understand these requirements and explore tailored propositions. The partnership’s focus on market intelligence could also help identify where demand is developing and which travel corridors offer opportunities for further collaboration.
Any services developed through the agreement will need to reflect the different needs of travellers and the requirements of participating healthcare providers. The announcement outlines areas for collaboration but does not confirm the launch of specific packages or services.
What the Partnership Means for International Travel
The Emirates and MTA agreement highlights the connection between aviation, healthcare and destination tourism. As international travel serves an increasingly diverse range of purposes, partnerships between airlines and healthcare-sector organisations can help explore ways to coordinate complex journeys.
For Emirates, the collaboration offers a route to develop its presence in medical and wellness travel while learning more about the needs of this customer segment. For MTA and participating healthcare providers, it creates an opportunity to explore how airline connectivity can support international patient access.
Dubai’s healthcare offering and Emirates’ global network provide a foundation for the partnership, with Africa, Asia and the Middle East identified as priority regions for exploring medical travel corridors.
The next steps will involve identifying opportunities, engaging with relevant providers and assessing how travel, care coordination and payment services could work together. The agreement establishes a framework for cooperation, while specific products and implementation details remain to be developed.
A Strategic Step for Emirates and Medical Tourism
Emirates’ MoU with the Medical Tourism Association represents a strategic effort to explore medical, wellness and longevity travel as a distinct customer segment. By combining its international connectivity with MTA’s industry network, the airline aims to identify new opportunities and develop travel propositions informed by the needs of healthcare travellers.
The focus on accredited providers, shared market intelligence and potential end-to-end coordination also places industry standards and customer experience at the centre of the collaboration.
As the partnership develops, its impact will depend on the services introduced, the healthcare providers involved and the medical travel corridors that emerge as priorities. For now, the agreement signals Emirates’ intention to build a more structured presence in international medical tourism, with Dubai positioned as an important part of that strategy.
Ahmed Abdul Wasey
Managing Editor, Eat ‘N Stays
Ahmed Abdul Wasey is the Managing Editor in Eat ‘N Stays, overseeing all editorial coverage of travel, hospitality, and food across Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region. He sets the publication’s editorial direction and reviews coverage across hotels, restaurants, tourism, cruise, and industry news before it publishes.
Have a story tip, correction, or question about our coverage? Reach Ahmed directly at pr@eatnstays.com.
