Imagine Cruising helped boost annual revenue at dnata’s travel services division by 48% to $951 million.
The Emirates tour operations and destination services arm said the UK cruise holidays business in which it has a majority stake made a “strong contribution” alongside destination management services subsidiary Destination Asia.
Total transaction value of travel services sold increased by 27% year-on-year to $2.4 billion in the 12 months to March 31, “reflecting the division’s ability to deliver relevant products to meet strong demand across B2B and B2C travel segments globally”.
Dnata’s travel division, which includes Gold Medal brands in the UK, forged agreements with new tourism entities, hospitality brands, and other partners to expand its portfolio of travel products, services, and solutions in the period.
This includes a strategic partnership with Amex GBT which doubled the size of its corporate travel business in the Middle East.
The figures were disclosed as Emirates Group reported a 71% rise in annual profits to a record $5.1 billion.
A breakdown of the figures showed that Emirates airline’s profits improved to $4.7 billion from $2.9 billion the previous year as passenger carryings rose by 19% to 51.9 million as capacity rose by 21%.
Group chair and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: “The Emirates Group has once again raised the bar to deliver a new record performance.
“Throughout the year, we saw high demand for air transport and travel-related services around the world, and because we were able to move quickly to deliver what customers want, we achieved tremendous results.
“We are reaping the benefit of years of non-stop investments in our products and services, in building strong partnerships, and in the capabilities of our talented people.
“Both Emirates and dnata have forged successful business models leveraging Dubai’s unique advantages, in turn generating enormous value for Dubai and the communities they serve around the world.”
He added: “The group’s excellent financial standing today places us in a strong position for future growth and success. It enables us to invest to deliver even better products, services, and more value to our customers and stakeholders.
“The business outlook is positive, and we expect customer demand for air transport and travel to remain strong in the coming months.
“As always, we will keep a close watch on costs and external factors such as oil prices, currency fluctuations, and volatile environments caused by socio-political changes. Our business model has been tested before, and I am confident in our resilience and ability to respond quickly to opportunities and challenges.
“Looking further ahead, the Dubai government has announced plans to start the next phase of expansion at Al Maktoum International airport, which will eventually be the new hub for Emirates and dnata’s operations.
“This AED 128 billion ($35 billion) investment will significantly expand and enhance Dubai’s aviation and logistics infrastructure, supporting the city’s growth, and Emirates’ and dnata’s growth.