Emirates and flydubai have signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Dubai Finance (DOF) to advance digital payment initiatives and promote ‘Dubai Cashless Strategy’ among international tourists, cementing the city’s position as a global digital economy hub. With over 18.7 million tourists visiting Dubai in 2024, cash-reliant travellers represent the emirate's greatest untapped potential for digital payment adoption.
The partnership will leverage DOF’s established connections to government departments and both airlines’ substantial digital payment expertise, with a significant percentage of Emirates’ and flydubai’s global business conducted through digital transactions. Emirates offers 14 payment gateways for its customers, and Skywards, the award-winning loyalty programme for both Emirates and flydubai, is already a 100% digital currency for earning and redeeming benefits.
The MoUs aim to enhance collaboration across several areas, including exchanging expertise, technical know-how and best practices for cashless solutions within the travel and tourism ecosystem. All sides will explore opportunities to run workshops and training sessions and will evaluate payment adoption trends that support strategic planning efforts.
The collaborations will target tourists and travellers planning their stay in Dubai by developing initiatives that improve and make the digital payment experience more inclusive for visitors. The carriers and DOF will explore joint marketing campaigns to uplift visitor awareness, tap into opportunities for incentives that encourage digital payment adoption as well as offer diverse digital solutions for visitors like contactless payments.
Source: Emirates