The forces reshaping global travel will take centre stage at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026, with government ministers, policymakers and senior industry leaders gathering in Dubai to examine the future of the sector.
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Taking place from 14–17 September at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the event will feature more than 210 speakers and contributors across more than 80 sessions on the Global and Future Stages and Experience Hub.
The programme will explore tourism resilience and international cooperation, artificial intelligence (AI), aviation and connectivity, hospitality, traveller behaviour, investment, sustainability and business events.
Global tourism leaders to address resilience
H.E. Shaikha Al Nuwais, UN Tourism Secretary-General, will open the Global Stage programme on 14 September with a UN Tourism welcome address, followed by H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism.
The opening day will also feature the Ministerial Debate: Building A Resilient Industry Through Collaboration, examining how the GCC can strengthen traveller confidence, enhance its global competitiveness and build the foundations for long-term tourism growth.
The debate will bring together Al Marri and Al Nuwais, along with H.E. Fatima bint Jafar Al Sairafi, Bahrain Minister of Tourism, and Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.
The discussion will consider coordinated destination messaging, crisis communications, policy alignment and cooperation between governments, source markets, airlines and the wider tourism industry.
Danielle Curtis, regional portfolio director, UAE, RX Global, said: “We’re pleased to be bringing together such a high calibre of participants for this year’s conference programme, from UN Tourism and government ministers to senior leaders and experts from across the international travel industry.
"The breadth of expertise across our stages reflects the issues that matter most to the sector today, from resilience and traveller confidence to AI, connectivity, investment, changing consumer behaviour and the future workforce.
“By combining senior-level perspectives with research, market intelligence and practical discussion, we want the programme to give attendees valuable insights they can take back to their businesses, while creating an important forum for the industry to exchange ideas and explore the opportunities shaping the future of travel.”
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Travel trends reflect a changing market
Research and market intelligence will be central to the Global Stage programme.
Stephen Dutton, global insight manager, travel at Euromonitor International, will examine the impact of inflation, geopolitical uncertainty and changing consumer priorities in The State of Travel: Inflation, Polycrisis & the New Travel Reality.
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, will also return with its annual ATM Travel Trends Report. Dave Goodger, managing director, EMEA, Tourism Economics, will examine where international travel demand is moving and the opportunities emerging for the Middle East.
He will also join senior representatives from the public and private sectors to discuss why travel demand in the region continues to demonstrate resilience.
Hospitality will also feature, with Haitham Mattar, managing director MEA & South West Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts, among the speakers examining how changing guest expectations, technology and experience-led travel are influencing the sector.
AI moves into the travel mainstream
Technology will move from a conference theme to a central part of the visitor experience at ATM Travel Tech, the dedicated co-located show making its full debut at ATM 2026.
Its Future Stage will examine how AI, fintech, digital distribution and connected platforms are moving from experimentation into commercial application. The Tech & Innovation Hub – Demo Zone will feature more than 15 interactive demonstrations from travel technology companies.
Dr Marwan Alzarouni, CEO, AI at the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), will open the Future Stage programme with AI's True Role in Rewriting the Travel Landscape, examining how AI is changing the infrastructure, policy and ecosystems underpinning travel.
The programme will also bring together senior representatives from Sabre, Trip.com, Tripadvisor, Wego, MakeMyTrip, RateGain and Visa for discussions covering agentic AI, online travel agencies, investment and consolidation, digital discovery and the changing travel supply chain.
Schubert Lou, CEO of Trip.com, will join Ross Veitch, CEO of Wego, and Raj Rishi Singh, Chief Business Officer – Corporate, Flights and GCC at MakeMyTrip, to discuss how AI and accelerating innovation cycles are changing the competitive landscape for online travel platforms.
Business events and corporate travel in focus
The Experience Hub will provide an interactive forum for business events, corporate travel, sustainability and peer-to-peer discussion.
Organisations including ICCA, IAPCO, GBTA and SITE will lead sessions addressing the future of meetings and incentives, regional collaboration and changing corporate travel priorities.
ICCA's Beyond Borders: The Middle East's Collaborative Vision for a Global Business Events Future will bring together tourism and events representatives from across the region to explore how business events can support investment, talent and knowledge exchange.
Participants will include representatives from the Oman Convention Bureau, Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority, Visit Qatar and Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.
