{
  "id": 8067180,
  "title": "Emirates bets on medical tourism boom with new association partnership",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/emirates-bets-on-medical-tourism-boom-with-new-association-partnership",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-17T17:10:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/emirates-bets-on-medical-tourism-boom-with-new-association-partnership-1.500678629"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dubai: Emirates has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA), signaling a strategic expansion into the medical tourism sector. Signed during ATM 2026, the agreement underscores Emirates' strategy of venturing beyond traditional leisure and business travel to forge lasting relationships with key players in medical travel. The partnership aims to identify vital markets and medical travel corridors, especially across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Furthermore, it seeks to craft customized travel solutions and enhance the customer experience centered around patients, referring physicians, insurers, and employers.\n\nAdnan Kazim, Emirates' Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, stated that the partnership with MTA will enable Emirates to meet the surging demand, leveraging their extensive network and premium services. Kazim further added that insights gained from the MTA will aid in developing products tailored to how medical travellers plan, book, and experience their journeys.\n\nJonathan Edelheit, CEO and Founder of the Medical Tourism Association, commented on the partnership, highlighting that it will pave a clear path for international medical travelers to reach accredited healthcare providers via Emirates. The collaboration aims to establish a structured approach to medical, wellness, and longevity travel, positioning it as a strategic new customer segment for the airline.\n\nThis partnership aligns with Dubai's role as a leading healthcare, wellness, and medical tourism hub and complements Emirates' expansive global network, creating a natural fit for sustained growth for both organizations. Additionally, the partnership supports Emirates' ambition to become the world's first Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) accredited airline. Together, Emirates and MTA will engage in thought leadership, industry engagement, and shared market intelligence to identify growth opportunities within the medical travel sector. MTA's extensive network, which includes over 500,000 healthcare providers, employers, insurers, and industry leaders, along with millions of prospective medical and wellness travelers annually, will be instrumental in exploring opportunities to facilitate seamless end-to-end medical travel experiences.",
  "summary": "Dubai: Emirates has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) signaling a strategic move to grow the airline's footprint in the medical tourism sectors. The agreement, signed on the sidelines of ATM 2026, reflects Emirates strategy of going beyond traditional leisure and business travel by building long term relationships with organisation that are at the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}