Emirates Inks Partnership With HiDubai To Strengthen Dubai's SME Ecosystem Under this agreement, Emirates will reach out to and engage with over 180,000 SMEs on the HiDubai platform.

UAE-based aviation company Emirates has partnered up with HiDubai, a UAE-based business discovery and consumer tech platform, to offer local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) better access to international market opportunities through the Emirates Business Rewards program.

The deal was finalized through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that was signed by Nabil Sultan, Executive Vice President for Passenger Sales and Country Management at Emirates, and H.E. Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO and Board Member of HiDubai.

Under this agreement, Emirates will reach out to and engage with over 180,000 SMEs on the HiDubai platform -which operate across manufacturing, logistics, and retail, among others- to enroll in its Business Rewards program. Through this, the two companies will aim to offer the founders and teams leading these SMEs with travel opportunities that can help them grow their businesses.

With over 40,000 SMEs enrolled in Emirates' Business Rewards program as well, the businesses on HiDubai will also be able to avail simplified enrolment, earning and redemptions while traveling, flexibility on retaining and using points, as well as upgrade opportunities based on availability. Additionally, the airline will be serving SMEs registered on the HiDubai platform with other exclusive travel offers as well.

(third from left) H.E. Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO and Board Member of HiDubai, and (second from right) Nabil Sultan, Executive Vice President for Passenger Sales and Country Management at Emirates during the MoU signing ceremony. Source: Emirates/HiDubai

"Emirates has been a long-standing supporter of Dubai and the wider UAE's SME ecosystem, and we're pleased to partner with HiDubai to help small and medium sized businesses, an important pillar and valuable generator of economic activity, to scale up their activities and explore more opportunities when they travel with us," said Sultan. "We're looking forward to providing these businesses with a simple way to earn points and be rewarded with their loyalty, and better meet the needs of this dynamic and growing sector in Dubai."

On his part, H.E. Al Janahi spoke of HiDubai's potential role in strengthening Dubai's SME ecosystem across business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) domains. "With a robust business dashboard, HiDubai garnered over three million business leads for SMEs in the previous year alone," he added. "Recognizing the escalating importance of the SME sector, we're excited to expand the Emirates Airlines Business Rewards program to SMEs in Dubai through this innovative tech alliance. This synergy will empower SMEs to optimize operational efficiency and realize substantial cost-saving benefits."

Through supporting businesses in Dubai to adopt the latest technological advancements, HiDubai allows its users to make informed choices based on community reviews and ratings of local businesses. It also provides local businesses with a digital identity to ensure they are visible to the wider public. On the other hand, Emirates has been a staunch supporter of SMEs in the UAE and across its global network, not only through its Business Rewards program, but also through identifying local, homegrown businesses for the procurement of products and services in its supply chain processes.