Dubai brings together governments, global industry leaders and technology innovators to redefine tourism in an era of AI, resilience and changing traveller expectations
Dubai is once again preparing to become one of the most important meeting points for the global travel industry. From 14–17 September 2026, Arabian Travel Market will return to Dubai World Trade Centre for its 33rd edition, bringing together policymakers, tourism leaders, technology experts and international businesses to discuss not simply where people will travel next — but how the entire architecture of global tourism is changing.
More than 210 speakers and contributors will take part in over 80 sessions across the Global Stage, Future Stage and Experience Hub. The programme will address some of the most decisive forces transforming travel today: artificial intelligence, aviation and connectivity, investment, sustainability, hospitality, changing consumer behaviour, business events and the need to build a more resilient international tourism ecosystem.
Tourism in an Age of Global Change
The conversation at ATM 2026 begins at the highest level.
H.E. Shaikha Al Nuwais, Secretary-General of UN Tourism, will open the Global Stage programme, followed by H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism. One of the opening day’s key discussions, “Building A Resilient Industry Through Collaboration,” will examine how governments, destinations, airlines and tourism organisations can work together to maintain traveller confidence and strengthen long-term competitiveness.
The debate will also bring together Bahrain’s Minister of Tourism H.E. Fatima bint Jafar Al Sairafi and European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas. At its heart will be a subject that has become increasingly important to global tourism: cooperation.
Destination communication, crisis management, policy alignment and stronger relationships between governments and the private sector are no longer secondary elements of tourism strategy. They are becoming fundamental to how destinations respond to geopolitical uncertainty, economic pressure and rapidly shifting traveller expectations.
A New Traveller, A New Economy
The modern traveller is changing — and so is the economics of travel.
Inflation, geopolitical uncertainty and evolving consumer priorities are influencing how people choose destinations, accommodation and experiences. During ATM 2026, Stephen Dutton, Global Insight Manager – Travel at Euromonitor International, will explore these forces in “The State of Travel: Inflation, Polycrisis & the New Travel Reality.”
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, will also present its annual ATM Travel Trends Report. Dave Goodger, Managing Director EMEA at Tourism Economics, will examine international demand patterns and the growing opportunities emerging across the Middle East.
The region’s continued resilience is becoming one of the most closely observed developments in the international tourism economy.
For the hospitality sector, this evolution means understanding that luxury and service can no longer be measured only by physical standards.
Today’s guest increasingly expects personalisation, seamless technology, meaningful experiences and a stronger emotional relationship with a destination.
Hospitality is therefore moving beyond the traditional concept of accommodation. It is becoming part of a wider cultural and experiential ecosystem in which design, technology, identity, gastronomy and storytelling all contribute to the value of a journey.
AI Moves from Experiment to Infrastructure
Perhaps no subject illustrates the transformation of tourism more clearly than artificial intelligence.
At ATM 2026, technology is no longer treated as an additional conference theme. It becomes one of the central pillars of the event.
ATM Travel Tech, making its full debut as a dedicated co-located show, will focus on technologies that are already moving from experimentation into commercial application. Artificial intelligence, fintech, digital distribution and connected platforms will be explored alongside interactive demonstrations from travel technology companies.
Dr Marwan Alzarouni, CEO, AI at the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, will open the Future Stage with a discussion titled “AI’s True Role in Rewriting the Travel Landscape.”
The choice of words is significant.
AI is no longer simply helping travellers search for hotels or plan itineraries. It is beginning to influence the infrastructure behind travel itself — from distribution systems and customer service to pricing, digital discovery, destination management and the way businesses understand consumer behaviour.
Senior representatives from companies including Sabre, Trip.com, Tripadvisor, Wego, MakeMyTrip, RateGain and Visa will explore subjects ranging from agentic AI and online travel platforms to investment, consolidation and the transformation of the travel supply chain.
This raises one of the most fascinating questions for the next decade:
As technology becomes increasingly capable of predicting what we want, how do we preserve the sense of discovery that makes travel meaningful?
The future of travel may depend on finding the right balance between technological efficiency and human emotion.
Travel as Cultural and Economic Exchange
Beyond leisure tourism, Arabian Travel Market will also examine the growing role of international meetings, incentives, exhibitions and corporate travel.
The Experience Hub will create a dedicated environment for discussions around business events, sustainability and professional collaboration. Organisations including ICCA, IAPCO, GBTA and SITE will participate in conversations about the future of meetings and incentives and their role in regional and international development.
Business events today represent far more than conferences.
They bring together investment, knowledge, talent and cultural exchange. They create relationships between regions and industries and can become catalysts for innovation far beyond the duration of an event itself.
In this context, Dubai’s position is particularly significant. Geographically and economically positioned between Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the city has become a natural platform for international dialogue.
ATM reflects that role.
More Than an Exhibition
Arabian Travel Market describes itself as a global platform driving growth and innovation across travel and tourism. Its scale illustrates how rapidly that platform is expanding.
According to the organisers, ATM has recorded 16% year-on-year growth, attracting more than 55,000 travel professionals from 166 countries.
Meanwhile, ATM Travel Tech itself will feature more than 180 exhibitors from 30 countries, with an 850-square-metre Tech & Innovation Hub dedicated to areas including AI, VR and AR, robotics, fintech and green technologies.
Those numbers reveal something larger than the growth of one trade event.
They reflect the extraordinary transformation of travel into an ecosystem where tourism increasingly intersects with technology, sustainability, finance, culture, architecture, design and international investment.
The tourism industry is no longer only asking:
Where will people travel?
It is asking:
Why will they travel? How will technology influence their decisions? What experiences will they value? And how can destinations remain relevant in an increasingly complex world?
Dubai and the Next Era of Travel
The 33rd Arabian Travel Market arrives at a moment when the global tourism industry is redefining itself.
Resilience has become as important as growth.
Technology has become as important as infrastructure.
Experience has become as important as destination.
And collaboration increasingly determines which regions and businesses will successfully navigate the next phase of global travel.
From 14–17 September 2026, Dubai will once again bring together the people shaping those decisions.
Arabian Travel Market will not only showcase destinations.
It will showcase ideas.
And perhaps the most important journey being discussed at ATM this year will not be one between two places, but the journey of an entire industry toward its future.
Arabian Travel Market 2026
14–17 September 2026
Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
09.09.2026 Stockholm
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