Photo: Olgierd Rudak / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Arabian Travel Market 2026 has opened in Dubai with artificial intelligence and digital travel services placed at the centre of the industry’s plans for growth, resilience and more personalised journeys.
Technology moves from add-on to infrastructure
The four-day trade event, held at Dubai World Trade Centre from 14 to 17 September, is built around the theme Travel 2040: Driving New Frontiers Through Innovation and Technology.
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Organiser RX Global has launched ATM Travel Tech as a dedicated co-located exhibition, bringing together more than 180 exhibitors from 30 countries. The programme puts AI, data, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, fintech, smart mobility and greener travel technologies under one roof.
Sessions across the event’s Global, Future and Experience stages are examining how technology can reshape booking, aviation, hospitality, destination management and accessibility. Speakers have also focused on the need for travel companies and public authorities to use new tools responsibly while responding to economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
A major platform for tourism partnerships
ATM is one of the Middle East’s leading business-to-business tourism gatherings, connecting destination marketers, airlines, hotel groups, travel agencies, investors and technology firms. Organisers said the 2026 edition is expected to draw more than 55,000 travel professionals from 166 countries.
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Sabre, the travel technology company, is the strategic partner for ATM Travel Tech. Emirates, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Dubai’s tourism authorities and regional travel firms are among the organisations using the event to pursue partnerships and discuss future demand.
Al Rais Travel is also using the exhibition to promote a new platform featuring voice and chat AI tools aimed at making trip planning more tailored to individual travellers.
Why it matters for Black travellers and tourism businesses
For African and Caribbean tourism boards, airlines, hotels and small travel businesses, the shift towards AI-led travel services could create new routes to international customers. Better use of language tools, customer data and digital marketing may help destinations communicate directly with travellers rather than relying solely on traditional intermediaries.
But access matters. If the technology is designed without diverse markets in mind, it can reinforce gaps in visibility, payment systems, language support and travel recommendations. Destinations across Africa and the Caribbean need a place in the decisions shaping how travellers discover, book and experience their countries.
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Dubai’s role as a meeting point between Africa, Asia, Europe and the Gulf makes ATM an important arena for those conversations. The central question is no longer whether AI will affect tourism, but who will own the systems, set the standards and benefit from the new travel economy.