From AI-powered destination management and personalised trip planning to a new battle for visibility in AI-generated search, speakers at Arabian Travel Market's Future Stage explored how technology is reshaping the travel ecosystem.
Dr Marwan Al Zarouni, CEO of AI at Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism. Source:
www.wtm.comThe future of travel is already taking shape through the technology being adopted, the partnerships being formed and the decisions being made across the industry, according to speakers at Arabian Travel Market (ATM)'s Future Stage.
Opening the programme, Rachel Travers, regional president at RX, the organiser of Arabian Travel Market, said the pace of change in travel is accelerating, with artificial intelligence (AI), automation, fintech, robotics and smart mobility increasingly influencing how journeys are discovered, booked and experienced.
But the discussion quickly moved beyond consumer-facing tools and chatbots, with speakers arguing that AI's biggest impact could be in fundamentally redesigning the systems and infrastructure behind travel.
Technology moves to the centre of travel
Travers said technology is no longer simply supporting the travel industry but is increasingly shaping it.
“The future of travel is not a distant destination. It is taking shape right now in the ideas we explore, in the partnerships we create and in the decisions that we make,” she said.
This year's ATM reflected that shift with the evolution of ATM Travel Tech into a dedicated co-located event, bringing the travel and technology sectors together on a broader platform.
The aim, she said, is not only to explore emerging technologies but to turn new ideas into meaningful commercial opportunities.
“Technology will continue to transform travel, but real progress, real innovation and real connection still depends on people, on their ideas, on their expertise, and on their willingness to strive and work together,” Travers said.
Beyond chatbots: AI is rewriting travel systems
Introducing the opening keynote on Day 1 on the new ATM Future stage, Travers said conversations about the future of travel increasingly centre on AI. But beneath the excitement around digital assistants, chatbots and personalised itineraries, a much broader transformation is underway.
AI is beginning to change not only how travellers plan holidays but also the infrastructure, operations and wider ecosystems that make travel possible.
Dr Marwan Al Zarouni, CEO of AI at Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, said the industry is at a pivotal moment.
“We are at the cusp of an AI revolution,” he said.
While much of the current discussion focuses on AI-powered tools and consumer applications, Al Zarouni argued that the greater opportunity lies in applying AI across entire platforms and systems.
“We want to change dramatically how travel is planned, managed and delivered through these kind of systems,” he said.
However, technology alone will not drive that transformation.
The successful deployment of AI depends on strong digital infrastructure, responsible governance and collaboration between the public and private sectors, he added.
From improving travel to redesigning it
The first major shift, according to Al Zarouni, is a move away from simply using AI to improve existing processes.
For decades, travel innovation focused on digitising bookings, check-ins and customer service. AI, however, creates an opportunity to redesign travel around desired outcomes.
“Instead of asking how AI can improve the process, destinations are increasingly asking: how could we design travel differently?” he said.
AI can support a move from reactive operations towards predictive decision-making, enabling destinations to forecast visitor demand, optimise capacity and personalise experiences in real time.
These insights could help improve operational efficiency, reduce congestion and strengthen a destination's ability to respond to changing circumstances.
“In an increasingly unpredictable world, this kind of agile, insights-based use of AI is extremely important,” Al Zarouni said.
The technology can also connect traditionally separate parts of the travel ecosystem, bringing together data from aviation, hospitality, attractions, mobility and destination services.
The objective is a more seamless visitor journey.
Dubai builds a connected travel ecosystem
Dubai is already pursuing this connected approach, according to Al Zarouni.
Initiatives include AI-powered itinerary planning, personalised visitor recommendations and intelligent destination management systems designed to optimise passenger flows, staffing and resources.
Dubai's itinerary planner is currently under development and is intended to support more intuitive and personalised trip planning.
The emirate has also introduced technologies designed to remove friction from the visitor journey, including biometric smart gates at Dubai airports and digital hotel check-in systems.
“The whole ecosystem has to be connected,” Al Zarouni said.
This is because AI is only as effective as the quality of the data, infrastructure and connectivity supporting it.
Integrated systems can generate more meaningful and contextual insights, while disconnected data remains limited by organisational silos.
“No matter how much you put into one silo, you cannot get that kind of value generation from AI,” he said.
AI search changes the rules of travel discovery
One of the most significant shifts identified during the keynote was the changing way travellers discover destinations.
Traditionally, consumers searched online, compared links and visited websites to research potential trips. Increasingly, AI assistants are synthesising information and providing direct answers based on individual preferences.
This could have major implications for travel businesses and destination marketers.
“Travel discovery is shifting right now from traditional search to AI assistance,” Al Zarouni said.
As AI-generated answers become a more prominent part of the discovery journey, destinations may no longer simply be competing for rankings on search engines.
“We are no longer competing for ranking on search engines. We are increasingly competing for representation – accurate representation and prominently being featured within the answer itself,” he said.
For destinations, airlines, hotels and attractions, this means accurate, timely and contextual information will become increasingly important.
Al Zarouni said organisations need to ensure that their information can be understood and processed by AI systems.
“If the destination content cannot be properly understood and processed by AI and machines, it will become increasingly difficult for travellers to discover them through AI-led journeys,” he said.
Destination visibility becomes an ecosystem challenge
The shift towards AI search also means no single organisation controls how a destination is represented.
AI-generated answers can draw on a wide range of sources, including official destination platforms, airlines, hotels, attractions, media, review sites, partner websites and community forums.
“We look at Dubai's ecosystem collectively,” Al Zarouni said.
If a credible airline, hotel, attraction, government platform or media organisation accurately represents Dubai in an AI-generated answer, it contributes to the wider destination's visibility.
That places greater emphasis on the quality and credibility of information across the entire ecosystem.
“Not only visibility, but correctness. Timely information, accurate information,” he said.
The source of information is becoming as important as the information itself.
Dubai's long-term AI ambition
Al Zarouni positioned AI as part of Dubai's broader economic and digital strategy rather than a standalone technology initiative.
Dubai's Economic Agenda D33 is intended to support the city's ambitions around productivity, investment and global competitiveness, with AI being integrated across government services, tourism and the wider economy.
The strategy includes AI accelerators and sandbox environments designed to allow new technologies and solutions to be tested responsibly.
Dubai's ability to move from strategy to implementation has helped position it as a regional centre for AI-enabled innovation, Al Zarouni said.
Public-private collaboration is also central to the model, bringing together government, startups, academia and global technology companies.
“Dubai has created an environment where AI innovation can be developed, tested and scaled,” he said.
The future remains human
Despite the focus on automation and AI, the opening of ATM's Future Stage carried a consistent message: technology will transform travel, but people will remain central to the industry.
For Travers, the opportunity is to use technology to create better experiences, stronger connections and new commercial opportunities.
“Real progress, real innovation and real connection still depends on people,” she said.
As AI moves from the front end of travel into the infrastructure behind destinations, the competitive advantage may increasingly belong to those able to connect data, technology and people.
The future of travel will not simply be about adopting more AI. It will be about building smarter, more connected and more responsive travel ecosystems around it.
