I think it's a question of making an effort to do something in the area. EK likes to focus on sponsoring sports events - very expensive. They have no social media presence (no facebook/ twitter) or for that matter even participation in FT (unlike BA/ LH which have people on here). While privacy may be an issue in the ME, most of EK's client base is abroad. I think it's down to who is managing these business functions at EK and their outlook.