Dubai Tourism Exhibition Highlights AI and China's Growing Appeal
The Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026, currently taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre, is being attended by tourism officials, airlines, hotels, and global technology companies. The event demonstrates that the tourism industry is increasingly focusing on two main pillars: artificial intelligence (AI) and the growing appeal of China as a tourist destination.
The four-day event, running until Thursday (17/9), is being attended by over 2,800 exhibitors and 55,000 tourism professionals. The exhibition area blends AI, robotics, and digital payments alongside various conventional travel offerings, reflecting the expanding role of technology within the sector.
Marwan Alzarouni, CEO of AI at Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), stated that travellers are increasingly using AI to seek inspiration, conduct research, and obtain recommendations. Consequently, tourist destinations must ensure that tourism information is accurate and easily accessible to AI systems.
“Traditional search rankings are no longer sufficient,” he noted, adding that AI should be integrated across various destinations, airlines, hotels, and government agencies, rather than being implemented in fragmented applications.
Irshad Ali, a software developer at UAE-based Techno Heaven Consultancy, mentioned that his company has increased investment in AI services for the hotel, travel agency, and airline sectors throughout the Middle East. According to him, there remains significant room for collaboration between the tourism and technology sectors, with immense market potential in the future.
Siddharth Sudh_kar, General Manager for the Middle East and North Africa at China’s Trip.com, stated that consumers in the Gulf region are highly tech-savvy. He explained a two-way exchange: introducing Middle Eastern travel experiences to Chinese consumers, while simultaneously bringing Chinese AI innovations and technology to the Middle East.
However, Shahab Shayan, an official at the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing under the DET, cautioned that the AI industry must continue to learn how to implement this technology carefully and at scale, while ensuring the human element remains central to tourism.
For the third consecutive year, the China Cultural Centre in the UAE brought a Chinese tourism delegation to the ATM event. The delegation comprised 28 companies from eight provinces and cities—including Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Henan, Chongqing, Jiangsu, Hunan, and Guangdong—marking the largest Chinese delegation in the history of the event.
Liu Yang, director of the centre, stated that increasing understanding of China through the internet and social media can help strengthen tourism and people-to-people relations.
Qatari tourism expert Nawal Alkubaisi noted that interest in China among Middle Eastern travellers is rising, driven by social media exposure and introductory trips that help tourists explore the country.
The 33rd edition of ATM 2026 is held under the theme “Travel 2040: Driving New Frontiers Through Innovation and Technology,” reflecting the industry’s ambition to move beyond the recovery phase and towards a technology-driven future.