SEPTEMBER
ATM 2026 SPOTLIGHTS INDUSTRY RESILIENCE Arabian Travel Market 2026 will reinforce Dubai’s position as one of the world’s most resilient and best-prepared destinations for global travel and tourism, as the industry navigates evolving market conditions. Taking place from September 14-17, 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre, the revised dates reflect a measured, collaborative approach designed to give exhibitors, buyers, visitors and partners greater flexibility and confidence, while maxim- ising opportunities for attendance and business engagement. Staged under the theme “Travel 2040: Driving New Frontiers Through Innovation and Technology”, ATM 2026 will place stronger emphasis on resil- ience, adaptability and future preparedness across the global travel ecosystem. The conference programme will explore crisis preparedness, traveller confidence, innovation and future tourism growth across the Global Stage, Future Stage and Experience Hub.
Danielle Curtis, Regional Portfolio Director – UAE, RX Global, said: “ATM 2026 will play an important role in bringing the international travel community together at a time when collaboration, confidence and long-term planning are more important than ever. By convening industry leaders, policymakers, tourism authorities and innovators from around the world, ATM will continue to support meaningful partnerships and contribute to the future growth and resilience of global tourism.”
Spaceflight experiences take off in the UAE
MAY UAE TAKES TOURISM TO SPACE The UAE kick-starts its space tourism offering with astronaut training and commercial spaceflight experiences planned for the second half of 2026. The programme is being developed through a partnership between Action Flight Aviation and Blinc Space in the Northern Emirates. EGYPT SETS HOTEL AMBITIONS HIGH Egyptian Tourism Authority (ETA) CEO Mostafa Mounir reveals plans to expand its hospitality capacity to 300,000 hotel rooms by 2030. Regions earmarked for growth include South Sinai and the Red Sea. Reforms involve converting 106,000 underutilised housing units into fully serviced, hotel-managed assets. MORE DUBAI INCENTIVES HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, approves an additional economic incen- tives package worth $410 million, bringing the total to $680 million, with hotels and tourism businesses offered additional support and exemptions.
JUNE EVENTS TO DRIVE DUBAI DEMAND Dubai charts a roadmap for a new era of tourism growth, with a year-round calendar of major events, international ex- hibitions, sporting spectacles and cultural attractions designed to drive demand, en- courage repeat visits and keep the emirate visible across key global markets. Q1 ARRIVALS UP DESPITE CONFLICT International tourist arrivals rose 2% in Q1 2026 despite disruption from the Middle East crisis in March, according to UN Tour- ism. Around 307 million people travelled internationally, 6 million more than in Q1 2025. The Middle East saw arrivals fall 14%, although Egypt performed strongly with a 16% increase. SMART MEDICAL VISA FOR DUBAI Dubai reveals plans to launch a ‘smart medical visa’ for patients travelling to the emirate for treatment. The initiative, agreed by GDRFA Dubai and the Dubai Health Authority, aims to better connect visa, residency and healthcare services.
JULY
AUGUST MORE AIR SERVICES TAKE FLIGHT Gulf airlines continue expanding their international networks: Riyadh Air launch- es daily flights to Mumbai on August 4; Emirates introduces a second daily A350 service to Colombo on August 8, and Etihad Airways strengthens its African connectivity through a new partnership with fastjet Zimbabwe. ME TOURISM POISED FOR REBOUND WTTC expects the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector to rebound strongly after a challenging 2026. Despite its tourism GDP forecast to contract 14.5% to $330 billion this year, the region is predicted to achieve the world’s fastest tourism growth to 2036, expanding by an average 6.3% annually to reach $605 billion. BAHRAIN AND UAE IN TRAVEL DEAL Bahrain and the UAE sign an MoU to advance a one-stop air travel system, enabling travellers to complete entry procedures before departure. It's being piloted on Gulf Air and Etihad Airways between Bahrain International and Zayed International airports.
LOW-COST CARRIERS EXPAND Low-cost carriers add new international services as demand for affordable travel continues to grow. flydubai launches daily flights to Bangkok’s Don Mueang Inter- national Airport on July 1 and Air Arabia starts services between London Gatwick and Sharjah. LONDON-DUBAI TOP ROUTE London-Dubai is revealed as MENA’s most-booked corporate travel route in H1 2026, ahead of Berlin-Dubai, as European corridors topped the region’s business travel rankings for the first time. This came despite a 45.6% rise in average airfares, with April the busiest booking month and Emirates the leading carrier, says Tumodo.
NEW VERTIPORT CERTIFIED Dubai certifies the world’s first
purpose-built commercial vertiport for electric air taxi operations. The GCAA and Skyports Infrastructure announce that VDX vertiport has received regulatory approval for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft operations, paving the way for fu- ture commercial air taxi services in Dubai.
ATM YEARBOOK 2026 | 15
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