Emirates was honoured with the prestigious ‘50 years of Tourism Award by MATI’ for its exceptional contribution to the tourism industry, as Maldives tourism marks its golden jubilee this year.

The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), the oldest tourism-related association in the Maldives, presented the ‘50 Years of Tourism Award by MATI’ to Emirates at an awards gala attended by Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamad Solih at Kurumba Maldives on 17 July. The award was collected by Chandana De Silva, Area Manager Sri Lanka & Maldives on behalf of Ahmed Khoory, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, West Asia and Indian Ocean.

Ahmed Khoory, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, West Asia and Indian Ocean, said, “Emirates is honoured to be recognized by the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI). Maldives is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Indian Ocean, and the high quality of tourism infrastructure paired with the inimitable experiences the destination provides are a perfect match for leisure seekers that fly Emirates. Over the three decades that followed since we launched operations to Maldives, Emirates has built on the success achieved over the years, carrying around 8.4 million passengers to and from the island nation across key strategy markets within the Emirates network. As travel rebounds, we look forward to further strengthen our efforts to support post-pandemic recovery and boost tourism.”

Based on nominations from all members of MATI as well as the operators of resorts in the Maldives, the award celebrates and honours the hard work, ingenuity and resilience of the people and organisations that have contributed exceptionally to the Maldives tourism industry, on the occasion of the industry’s Golden Jubilee.

The awards event recognised contributions under three categories – Pioneers, Former Presidents of MATI and the winners of the ‘50 Years of Tourism Award by MATI.’

Emirates has played an integral part in the socio-economic growth of the Maldives for 35 years. The award-winning international airline commenced services to Maldives on 27 May 1987, with two flights a week. Maldives was the eighth international destination on the Emirates network. Over the three decades that followed, Emirates grew into the world’s leading international airline and was connecting the Maldives to a global network that comprised of more than 150 destinations before the global pandemic.

Emirates has operated more than 28,000 round trip flights to the Maldives to date, logging approximately 134 million kilometres on the route. In 2021, Emirates was recognised as the top airline to the Maldives for carrying 265,000 passengers in that year, an impressive contribution to the tourism industry of the Maldives after COVID-19 necessitated travel restrictions were lifted.

Today, Emirates operates 35 flights a week to and from the Maldives, connecting travellers and exporters to a destination network that is rapidly and safely being restored to pre-pandemic levels as countries re-open for international travel.

Emirates continues to be at the forefront in revolutionising air travel and restoring travel confidence. Continuing to place top priority on safe travel with the implementation of comprehensive measures on the ground throughout all touchpoints and on board, it provides its passengers with the highest safety and hygiene standards at every step of the journey. Customers travelling from Dubai can also take advantage of state of the art contactless technology to ease their journey through the airport.