Dubai Travel Summit Tests Tech Integration as Industry Rebuilds Operations Framework

Arabian Travel Market’s 33rd edition opens at Dubai World Trade Centre on September 14, running through September 17, as the global travel sector works to stabilize operations and integrate a wave of new technology into day-to-day business. Organizer RX Global has structured the four-day gathering around the theme Travel 2040: Driving New Frontiers Through Innovation and Technology, with sessions designed to address the practical and strategic pressures reshaping how destinations, airlines, hotels and travel technology firms actually function.

The conference programme spans the Global Stage, Future Stage and Experience Hub, covering artificial intelligence, destination resilience, hospitality operations, aviation, business events, luxury travel, accessibility, sustainability and investment. Research support comes from Tourism Economics, Euromonitor International and Dragon Trail International. Running alongside the main event is the newly launched ATM Travel Tech co-located exhibition, backed by Sabre as official strategic partner, which will feature demonstrations of AI applications, immersive technologies, robotics, fintech solutions and smart mobility systems. The Tech and Innovation Hub sits at the center of that showcase.

Danielle Curtis, Regional Portfolio Director for UAE at RX Global, was direct about the conditions the industry has been navigating. “The past few months have required our industry to adapt, and we are extremely grateful for the trust, understanding and flexibility our customers and partners have shown throughout this period,” Curtis said. She added that ATM’s role as a convening point “feels particularly important” this year.

Strategic partners have each framed their participation around concrete operational goals. Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates, described the event as a platform for deepening partner relationships and unlocking new business. “Growing a destination or tapping into new customer segments is not a solo effort,” he said, pointing to what those partnerships are expected to deliver across the wider industry.

Haitham Mattar, Managing Director for India, Middle East and Africa at IHG Hotels & Resorts, pointed to the region’s hospitality infrastructure build-out as the foundation for the next phase of growth. “The Middle East continues to demonstrate strong long-term fundamentals for travel and hospitality, supported by sustained investment in tourism, infrastructure, destination development and international connectivity,” Mattar said. The challenge now, in his framing, is converting that capital investment into sustainable demand through technology and data-driven approaches to guest experience.

Meanwhile, Al Rais Travel, which has operated since 1977, is using ATM 2026 to launch its new AlRaisTravel.com platform. The platform introduces Voice AI and Chat AI capabilities alongside expanded medical tourism connections. Executive Director Mohamed Al Rais tied the launch directly to the event’s technology theme, describing it as a reflection of the direction the industry is moving.

Ramzi Al-Qassab, Managing Director for META, EE, CIS and PK at Sabre, put the operational challenge plainly. “A lot has changed since we last gathered in Dubai, and our industry is having to navigate current economic and geopolitical uncertainty alongside real technological opportunity,” he said. “That’s the fog our customers are flying through right now, and Arabian Travel Market is where we come together to help chart a way through it.”

His Excellency Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, connected the event to Dubai’s Economic Agenda D33, which targets a doubling of the city’s economy and a stronger position as a global destination. “Hosting Arabian Travel Market at this important moment for the global travel industry reflects Dubai’s role as a trusted meeting point for the world, where government and private sector partners work in close alignment to sustain confidence, enable business and shape new opportunities for growth,” Kazim said.

Organizers say preparations were built through sustained engagement with exhibitors, buyers, partners and stakeholders, allowing the programme to respond to shifting industry needs while keeping focus on business development, networking and knowledge exchange. The three priorities running through the conference structure are commercial reinvention, operational resilience and the evolving expectations of experience-led travelers.

Registration for ATM 2026 is open for media, visitors and exhibitors. Whether the newly launched ATM Travel Tech exhibition delivers as a working showcase for the sector’s next infrastructure layer, rather than a demonstration floor, will be one of the practical questions the four days in Dubai are expected to answer.