More than 210 speakers will address 80-plus sessions at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 when the event opens 14-17 September at Dubai World Trade Centre. Government ministers, UN Tourism officials, and senior leaders from IHG, Trip.com, Sabre, and Visa are among those scheduled to examine resilience, AI, hospitality shifts, and the next phase of regional tourism growth.
The conference programme spans three stages - Global, Future, and the Experience Hub - and arrives as the GCC pushes to strengthen traveller confidence and build long-term competitiveness through coordinated policy and investment.
Ministerial debate opens the Global Stage
H.E. Shaikha Al Nuwais will deliver a UN Tourism welcome address on 14 September, followed by H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism. The opening day's centrepiece is a high-level ministerial debate on building a resilient industry through collaboration.
The session brings together H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri; H.E. Shaikha Al Nuwais; H.E. Fatima bint Jafar Al Sairafi, Bahrain Minister of Tourism; and Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism. Discussion will cover coordinated destination messaging, crisis communications, policy alignment, and cooperation between governments, source markets, and airlines.
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."
Research and hospitality take centre stage
Market intelligence runs through the Global Stage agenda. Stephen Dutton, Global Insight Manager - Travel at Euromonitor International, will present The State of Travel: Inflation, Polycrisis & the New Travel Reality, examining how inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, and shifting consumer priorities are reshaping demand.
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, returns with its annual ATM Travel Trends Report. Dave Goodger, Managing Director, EMEA, will present Middle East Momentum & Market Shifts, followed by a panel with public and private sector representatives on why regional travel demand continues to show resilience.
Haitham Mattar, Managing Director MEA & South West Asia at IHG Hotels & Resorts, appears on the Global Stage, while speakers across the programme will address how changing guest expectations, technology, and experience-led travel are influencing hospitality's future. For professionals tracking how technology intersects with service delivery, AI for Hospitality & Events covers practical applications in this space.
Travel Tech debuts as a full co-located show
ATM Travel Tech makes its full debut as a dedicated co-located show at ATM 2026. Its Future Stage programme examines how AI, fintech, digital distribution, and connected platforms are moving from experimentation into commercial application. The Tech & Innovation Hub - Demo Zone offers more than 15 interactive demos from leading Travel Tech companies.
Dr Marwan Alzarouni, CEO, AI at the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, opens the Future Stage with AI's True Role in Rewriting the Travel Landscape, exploring how AI is changing infrastructure, policy, and the ecosystems underpinning travel. Senior representatives from Sabre, Trip.com, Tripadvisor, Wego, MakeMyTrip, RateGain, and Visa will lead sessions on agentic AI, the future of online travel agencies, investment and consolidation, and the changing travel supply chain.
Schubert Lou, CEO of Trip.com, joins Ross Veitch, CEO of Wego, and Raj Rishi Singh, Chief Business Officer - Corporate, Flights and GCC at MakeMyTrip, for a discussion on how AI and accelerating innovation cycles are reshaping the competitive landscape for online travel platforms. For leaders evaluating these shifts at a strategic level, AI for Executives & Strategy provides frameworks for decision-making in this environment.
Experience Hub focuses on business events and sustainability
The Experience Hub creates an interactive forum for business events, corporate travel, and sustainability. Organisations including ICCA, IAPCO, GBTA, and SITE lead sessions on 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 brings together senior tourism and events representatives from the Oman Convention Bureau, Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority, Visit Qatar, and Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority. The session will explore how business events can support investment, talent, and knowledge exchange across the region.
Why this matters for hospitality and events professionals
ATM 2026's programme directly addresses the operational and strategic pressures facing hospitality and events teams: shifting traveller behaviour, AI adoption moving from pilot to production, and the need for cross-border policy coordination. The dedicated Travel Tech show floor and Experience Hub sessions offer hands-on exposure to tools and frameworks that are already changing how venues, destinations, and corporate travel programmes operate. For those unable to attend, the agenda signals where investment and hiring priorities are heading across the GCC and beyond.
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