Artificial intelligence, resilient travel demand and a wave of new airline and hospitality investments dominated the opening day of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 in Dubai on Monday, as the region’s tourism industry looked beyond this year’s disruption towards a more technology-driven phase of growth.
The 33rd edition of ATM is taking place from September 14 to 17 at Dubai World Trade Centre, under the theme “Travel 2040: Driving New Frontiers Through Innovation and Technology.” The four-day event features more than 210 speakers, 80-plus sessions and the debut of ATM Travel Tech, a dedicated exhibition bringing together more than 180 exhibitors from 30 countries.
AI emerged as one of the strongest themes on the first day, with Dubai tourism authorities positioning the technology not simply as a standalone tool but as infrastructure capable of connecting different parts of the visitor journey — from predicting demand and managing capacity to creating personalised experiences.
Dr Marwan Al Zarouni, CEO of AI at Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism and CEO of the Dubai Blockchain Center, told the ATM Future Stage that the industry needed to move from reactive systems towards predictive travel, with AI forecasting demand, optimising capacity and personalising experiences in real time. Dubai is already applying the approach through its AI-powered “wise itinerary planner” and mobile-based seamless hotel check-in.
The technology push comes as airlines and hotels report a strong recovery in regional travel following this year’s disruption.
Emirates said on the opening day that it carried more than 8.6 million passengers in July and August, with operations at around 93% of pre-disruption capacity. Winter bookings are running ahead of last year in several markets, including India, South Africa, Brazil and Egypt. The airline is preparing to launch Helsinki services in October and increase capacity on routes including Hanoi and Accra.
Etihad is showcasing its new “Beyond Borders” passenger experience at ATM, including redesigned First, Business and Economy cabins for its Airbus A330 fleet. The airline says the new design will progressively extend across its aircraft, lounges and ground operations as part of a reported US$20 billion investment in aircraft and customer experience, including a US$1 billion retrofit programme.
flydubai is also highlighting the restoration of its network, now around 85% operational, with about 2,200 flights a week to more than 125 destinations. Bangkok has increased to three daily services, while a new route to Pokhara, Nepal, is due to begin on September 23.
Travel demand has proved more resilient than expected. Wego data released around ATM shows hotel bookings across the region increased 17% between March and August, although average booking values fell 18%. Domestic hotel bookings rose 37%, suggesting travellers adapted by choosing destinations closer to home rather than abandoning travel.
Dubai’s hotel sector is showing a similar recovery. Hotel occupancy reached 66% in August, its strongest monthly level in six months, compared with 36% in March. Hotel inventory approached 149,000 rooms by the end of August.
The recovery is also changing what travellers want.
dnata Travel is reporting growing demand among UAE travellers for ski holidays, Arctic experiences and other cold-weather destinations for winter 2026/27. Japan has entered the five most-booked international destinations, while Finland, Georgia, France and Switzerland are also seeing stronger demand.
Hospitality groups are using the improving outlook to expand beyond Dubai. Emaar Hospitality’s Vida Aljada opened in Sharjah on September 1, while new Address Hotels + Resorts projects are planned for Diriyah in Saudi Arabia and Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah.
Air connectivity is expanding alongside the hotel pipeline. Royal Jordanian has launched two weekly direct services between Abu Dhabi and Aqaba, providing a direct link to Jordan’s Petra, Wadi Rum and Red Sea coast. The airline now operates close to 40 direct flights a week between the UAE and Jordan.
The visitor experience is also becoming increasingly digital at the border. Dubai’s GDRFA is showcasing its Red Carpet biometric border-control system and Click and Travel mobile passport-control service at ATM, alongside the UAE’s five-year multiple-entry tourist visa.
With three more days of ATM 2026 still to go, further airline, hospitality, destination and technology announcements are expected to shape the industry’s outlook.
But the first day has already established the central message of this year’s show: the next phase of Middle East tourism will not simply be about restoring visitor numbers. It will be about using AI, data and digital infrastructure to make the entire journey more predictive, connected and personalised.
