dnata Travel Group, Emirates Holidays to host global industry event in Maldives

dnata Travel Group and Emirates Holidays, both part of the Emirates Group, have announced the return of Horizon: Maldives, a high-level industry gathering taking place at Kurumba resort on June 10, 2025. The event underscores the wider group’s investment in the Indian Ocean nation as one of its fastest-growing global destinations.

Record-breaking years for Maldives tourism

Horizon: Maldives comes on the heels of a historic year for Maldivian tourism. In 2024, the country welcomed over 2 million international visitors for the first time, surpassing previous records and marking a 9% increase over 2023 arrivals, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism.

As of April this year, the country has already received over 693,000 tourists, indicating a 5.7% increase compared to the same period in 2024. The ministry projects that arrivals will reach 2.2 million by the end of 2025.

Fostering deeper ties in the Indian Ocean

Horizon: Maldives aims to strengthen collaboration between the Emirates Group’s brands and the local hospitality sector. It will feature discussions on how to sustain and expand the country’s tourism momentum, while exploring shifting traveller behaviours, emerging source markets, and opportunities to attract new visitor segments.

“This is our second Horizon event in the Maldives, which has really transformed from a niche luxury destination to a globally sought-after paradise,” said John Bevan, Chief Executive Officer at dnata Travel Group.

“We’ve seen significant and consistent growth in traveller demand for the Maldives across all our global brands over the years. This event is both a celebration of that success and a reaffirmation of our long-term commitment to the country. Through continued marketing investment, destination alignment, and close partnerships with local stakeholders, we aim to play a key role in supporting the Maldives’ strategic goals for tourism.”

“As the tour operating arm of Emirates serving more than 40 markets and offering bespoke experiences in every corner of the airline’s network, we strive to connect our customers with the most sought-after destinations. The Maldives’ distinctive appeal as a destination for adventure-seekers, honeymooners and everyone in between has made it one of our most popular holiday spots. Our partnership with MMPRC ensures we continue to be part of Maldives Tourism’s success story as we attract more visitors from across the Emirates network through close collaboration with partners across the tourism ecosystem,” said Bob Kabli, Senior Vice President Online Sales Development for Emirates.

The Group’s commitment to Maldives in numbers

dnata Travel Group and Emirates Holidays have been instrumental in driving global tourism to the Maldives, growing its annual passenger volumes to the destination by 30% from 2023 to 2024, with the same growth trajectory continuing into 2025. Over the same period, the Group has significantly diversified its source markets, now attracting visitors from over 100 countries worldwide.

In a further show of commitment, dnata Travel Group introduced the Maldives as a new destination to three of its brands – Arabian Adventures, Imagine Cruising and Netflights – further expanding its international passenger base.

Most recently, dnata Travel – one of dnata’s core consumer brands –partnered with the Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) to boost the destination’s visibility across the GCC. The joint campaign highlights the Maldives’ natural beauty, unique experiences, and growing appeal among regional travellers. A parallel initiative is underway in the UK through dnata’s Travelbag brand, aimed at attracting British visitors.

Meanwhile, Emirates and MMPRC previously signed an MoU to jointly promote inbound tourism to the archipelago nation. Emirates Holidays has played a central role in this partnership, organising over 20 trade familiarisation trips in the last year alone.

Emirates Holidays has also been working closely with MMPRC and local hotel partners in the Maldives on joint campaigns to drive tourist arrivals, including trade roadshows and workshops, mall activations, radio campaigns, among other promotional activities.

“We’ll continue to explore similar joint marketing initiatives across our wider portfolio of brands,” said Bevan. “Our goal is to work closely with destination partners like the Maldives to deliver long-term, sustainable growth through targeted, market-specific campaigns.”

Horizon: Maldives 2025 will be attended by dnata Travel Group leadership, representatives from Emirates Airline and beverage distributor MMI, as well as key industry partners such as resort owners, hotel general managers and government officials. It marks the second Horizon event in the Maldives and the fourth in the Indian Ocean region, building on previous instalments in Mauritius and Sri Lanka.