Travel Industry Sets Sights on Tech, Talent, and Customer Service as Growth Drivers

FUTURE READINESS EMERGES AS COMPETITIVE PRIORITY FOR TRAVEL SECTOR

Senior executives at Arabian Travel Market 2026 in Dubai have identified technology, talent and customer focus as the foundational pillars for sustained competitiveness as the travel industry moves beyond recovery and into its next growth phase. The convergence of these three elements, they argue, will determine which organisations can effectively navigate accelerating change and capitalise on emerging opportunities.

The assessment came during an executive roundtable titled From Rebound to Readiness: Shaping What’s Next Across the Travel Ecosystem, held at the ATM Experience Hub on September 15, 2026. The session brought together decision-makers from major players across the travel value chain: Liam Findlay, Chief Executive Officer of Miral Destinations; Pratik Kachroo, Executive Director of Khamas Hospitality; Leon Li, Vice President of Public Affairs at Alibaba Fliggy; Anthony Nakache, Managing Director MENA for Google; and Maha Nizam, Head of GCC Marketing at Visa. Sita Sahu, CEO and Founder of FUTURE&, led the roundtable.

The discussion revealed a sector at an inflection point. Traveller expectations have shifted fundamentally, with consumers now demanding seamless planning, deeper personalisation and fully integrated experiences spanning the entire customer journey, from initial research through post-trip engagement. Anthony Nakache of Google noted that the boundaries between destination experiences are blurring, and travellers increasingly expect comprehensive service integration. “The good news is that the technology is there to support stakeholders across the ecosystem in responding to these expectations, from planning and delivery through to post-holiday engagement,” Nakache said. “AI can help the industry fulfil many of these higher expectations.”

Technology alone, however, will not suffice.

Participants stressed that human expertise and people-centred strategies remain essential to delivering meaningful travel experiences. Maha Nizam of Visa articulated this tension directly: “Travel is a very human and personal experience. Technology can help us become more personalised, but ultimately it should elevate what people can do within an organisation. AI and technology will continue to attract investment, but our people, employees and consumers are what reflect the journey, what a company stands for and how we can serve travellers better.”

This emphasis on combining technological investment with human capital reflects a broader industry shift toward sustainable competitive advantage. Rather than viewing technology and talent as separate priorities, leaders are positioning them as complementary forces that must work in concert to deliver customer value.

Customer-centricity emerged as the third critical dimension. Liam Findlay of Miral Destinations described how this principle operates at the organisational level: “Every conversation we have, whether it is about revenue or product development, always comes back to the customer first. What does the customer want and how will they react? Priorities will always differ in our industry, but for us it is simple: the customer is always number one. Whatever we do as an organisation at Miral, that priority is driven from the top all the way down.”

Meanwhile, the shift from recovery-focused thinking to future readiness represents a fundamental reorientation for the sector as a whole. Danielle Curtis, Regional Portfolio Director for UAE at RX Global, framed the strategic imperative plainly: “Future readiness is about turning change into competitive advantage. The decisions businesses make today around technology, talent and customer experience will determine how effectively they can respond to the opportunities ahead.”

ATM 2026, now in its 33rd edition, continues through September 17 at Dubai World Trade Centre. The event operates under the theme Travel 2040: Driving New Frontiers Through Innovation and Technology, examining how artificial intelligence, digital transformation, smart mobility and evolving traveller expectations are reshaping the tourism landscape. The Experience Hub’s roundtable programme provides a structured forum for industry professionals to exchange practical challenges, commercial realities and operational insights beyond the main conference agenda. Whether the sector’s stated commitment to integrating technology with human capital translates into measurable operational change, or remains a conference-floor aspiration, is the question executives will face when they return to their organisations.