Emirates Holidays, the tour operating arm of Emirates, has established its first global franchise, Emirates Vacations, following the appointment of the US-based Destination Southern Africa Inc. (DSA Vacations) as its partner.

The five-year franchise agreement will enable Emirates Holidays to tap into the U.S. market, leveraging DSA’s local expertise and market intelligence. Under the brand name Emirates Vacations, DSA will distribute competitively-priced vacation packages to Dubai and other popular destinations such as the Indian Ocean Islands, India, Italy and Thailand.

“With Emirates’ successful operations in the U.S. serving seven gateways, we have access to a significant market of global travellers many of whom are already considering destinations served by the airline’s network. Working closely with Emirates, there is tremendous potential for Emirates Vacations to reach a wider customer base and adopt a more holistic approach to the business – where the airline can and be a part of the customer’s entire travel experience. As the first international franchise of Emirates Holidays, Emirates Vacations reinforces our commitment to build on our commercial strength in the U.S.,” said Thierry Antinori – Emirates’ Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

“The time is ripe for us to make inroads into a very lucrative, dynamic market, and with DSA as our Emirates Holidays’ franchise operator, we hope to extend our brand experience even further in the US. With DSA, we have found a partner with a wealth of experience, an impressive and consistent performance and with whom we share a like-minded philosophy – to deliver memorable travel experiences at the most competitive prices,” said Marc Bennett, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President Destination & Leisure Management.

Emirates Vacations will focus primarily on selling one-week to two-week vacations to Dubai, which will then extend to vacation packages beyond Dubai, with stop-overs, multi-centre packages and high-end adventure holidays across Emirates’ global destinations.

Emirates offers 56 weekly flights in the U.S. from seven gateways including Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC, and from October 1, 2013, Emirates will launch its new transatlantic route from New York to Milan, providing the only First Class service between the two cities.

Emirates Holidays, www.emiratesvacations.com