Destinations are no longer competing on the ‘prettiest beaches’, it’s all about the experience and streamlined touchpoints for the traveller. At the heart of every successful tourism ecosystem is one thing, strategic partnerships, and tourism boards in the Middle East are already using them for a competitive advantage
From technology giants and airlines to cruise operators, cultural institutions, and even other regions, the destinations that win in the coming decade will be those that collaborate the most effectively.
Why partnerships are becoming the priority
Tourism has become too complex for governments to tackle alone
Travellers expect seamless digital experiences, personalised recommendations, real-time itinerary tools, and high-quality content delivered across multiple platforms. Delivering this requires private-sector tech and often collaborative efforts.
Distribution power lies outside tourism boards
Airlines, OTAs, cruise companies, and global travel networks control the pathways through which travellers discover and book trips. Partnering with them unlocks visibility that paid advertising alone cannot match.
Destinations need credibility to stand out
Celebrity ambassadors, global brands, influencers, sports organisations, and cultural institutions bring storytelling scale and trust that destinations cannot create on their own.
Travellers no longer think in borders
Multi-country itineraries are rapidly increasing. Destinations that coordinate marketing, routes, and visitor flows benefit the most, especially when appealing to long-haul markets.
Tourism success depends on the supply chain
Guides, SMEs, hotels, attractions, cruise ports, and cultural sites deliver the actual visitor experience. Without deep, ongoing partnerships, marketing efforts won’t translate into meaningful impact.
The global competition for attention is fierce
Destinations are competing with each other and with global events, entertainment giants, and influencer culture. Partnerships help destinations break through the noise.
Nowhere is this shift clearer than in the Middle East, where tourism boards have embraced partnerships as the foundation of growth, not an add-on. Here’s how.
Middle East partnerships making an impact
AI, data, and tech: Abu Dhabi X Amadeus
Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism renewed its partnership with Amadeus to use AI-powered campaigns aimed at boosting visitor numbers by over 60%.
This is a textbook example of how a tourism board can use private-sector innovation to target new audiences, optimise spend, personalise messaging, and support long-term tourism strategies. Tech partnerships like this are rapidly becoming essential, not optional.
Cross-corder alliances: Qatar X Saudi Arabia
Qatar Tourism and the Saudi Tourism Authority signed an MoU focused on joint tourism promotion, shared marketing strategies, streamlined international presence, and expertise exchange.
This is the kind of partnership that reflects how modern travellers behave: they combine destinations. Countries that align on strategy will gain more competitive visibility and attract higher-value, longer-stay travellers.
Trade and supply chain connectivity: Oman X Europe
Oman saw remarkable growth from European markets in 2025, including 123% increase from Russia, 199% from Belarus, and strong double-digit growth across Scandinavia. To sustain momentum, Oman hosted 70 European tourism companies for an in-depth programme showcasing local hotels, operators, and experiences across the Sultanate.
This is partnership done right where tourism boards are empowering SMEs, strengthening supply chains, and ensuring product-market fit in key source markets.
Visit Qatar: Entertainment and celebrity partners
Visit Qatar launched a high-impact campaign starring; David Beckham, Ons Jabeur, Mo Farah, Nobu Matsuhisa, Hande Ercel, and Anirudh Ravichander. This type of cross-industry partnership demonstrates how destinations can elevate their global storytelling by aligning with influential cultural figures. Modern tourism marketing increasingly depends on ‘borrowed relevance’, and this campaign is a prime example.
Saudi Arabia: Cultural and cruise integration
Saudi Arabia is actively building tourism ecosystems through several notable partnerships including:
STA X AROYA Cruises X Major Sports Cruises
A new partnership will give European visitors an integrated experience that connects the 2026 Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah, cultural immersion tours, and heritage attractions like Jeddah Historic District. It demonstrates how Saudi is blending sports tourism, cruise tourism, and cultural tourism into a single unified value proposition.
Saudi Heritage Commission X Cruise Saudi
This MoU integrates Saudi cultural heritage into cruise itineraries, onboard programming, port designs, and even underwater heritage exploration. Cultural tourism becomes more powerful when embedded into partnerships like these.
Kuwait: Aviation partnerships driving growth
Kuwait has doubled down on aviation-led tourism partnerships with:
- Kuwait Airways X Visit Kuwait
- Kuwait’s Ministry of Information & Culture X Jazeera Airways X Visit Kuwait
Both agreements aim to promote Kuwait globally, improve digital visitor services, integrate airlines into tourism planning, offer exclusive deals and visitor experiences, and activate unified visitor platforms. Airlines are often the strongest tourism partners a destination can have, and Kuwait is leveraging them strategically.
Ajman: Trade engagement
Ajman’s recent roadshow across Warsaw, Budapest, and Prague highlights how smaller emirates can use trade partnerships to grow sustainably while showcasing culture and heritage.
Trade roadshows remain one of the most effective ways for emerging destinations to boost consumer confidence and establish long-term operator partnerships.
The bottom line
Destinations don’t succeed alone, they succeed through the strength of the partners standing alongside them. Public-private partnerships, cross-border alliances, industry collaborations, airline agreements, cruise integrations, celebrity tie-ins, and SME empowerment, this is the new tourism growth infrastructure.
Destinations that embrace it will accelerate faster, innovate quicker, and resonate deeper with global travellers, and the Middle East is showing the world exactly how powerful that model can be.
