Emirates Holidays has entered into a partnership with the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) aimed at expanding outbound leisure travel from Kenya and giving travel agencies greater access to holiday products across the Emirates network.
The tour operating arm of Emirates Airline signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with KATA, which represents more than 300 travel agencies across Kenya. The agreement will focus on strengthening travel-agent knowledge of Emirates Holidays’ destinations, packages and experiences, while creating opportunities for joint promotions and targeted offers.
The partnership comes after Emirates increased its Nairobi service to three daily flights in July, taking its weekly frequency between Kenya and Dubai to 21 flights. The additional connectivity provides a larger platform for Emirates Holidays to market Dubai and other destinations to Kenyan leisure travellers.
Under the agreement, Emirates Holidays and KATA will collaborate on destination briefings, trade webinars, industry events and joint marketing initiatives. They will also explore tailored packages and promotional offers that KATA member agencies can sell to their customers.
While Dubai will remain a major focus, the partnership will also promote destinations across the Emirates Holidays network, including the Maldives, Bali, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Hong Kong, Greece, Finland, Chile, Jamaica and Australia.
The MoU was signed at the Emirates Travel Store in Nairobi by Maitha Albutehi, Business Development Manager for Emirates Holidays – Africa Markets, and Dr Joseph Kithitu, Chairman of KATA. Emirates Country Manager in Kenya, Christophe Leloup, and Sales Manager Kenya, Nafisa Salim, also attended the signing.
Leloup said the agreement would build on Emirates’ expanded connectivity between Nairobi and Dubai while strengthening the airline’s relationship with Kenya’s travel trade.
“Following the launch of Emirates’ third daily Nairobi service in July, we are now focused on leveraging this enhanced connectivity to stimulate leisure travel and unlock new growth opportunities,” he said.
For KATA, the partnership is also intended to strengthen the role of travel agents as Kenyan travellers increasingly look beyond traditional holiday destinations.
Kithitu said the agreement would give member agencies opportunities to broaden their product offerings and respond to changing consumer demand, while connecting them more closely with Emirates’ international travel network.
The collaboration forms part of Emirates Holidays’ broader efforts to expand its presence in African markets through partnerships with travel-industry organisations. In addition to outbound packages, the company also offers holiday arrangements for international visitors travelling to Kenya, covering accommodation and experiences centred on the country’s wildlife, coastline and cultural attractions.
Emirates has operated flights to Nairobi since 1995 and has progressively increased its presence in the Kenyan market. With 21 weekly flights now connecting Nairobi with Dubai, the route provides access to Emirates’ wider global network while supporting both leisure and business travel between Kenya and international markets.
The latest partnership therefore brings together increased air connectivity and a larger travel-agent distribution network, positioning Emirates Holidays to pursue further growth in Kenya’s outbound holiday market.
