The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) will lead the emirate’s tourism ecosystem at the 33rd edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), taking place from September 14 to 17 at Dubai World Trade Centre.
The four-day exhibition returns as one of the global travel industry’s most closely watched trade events, and it arrives at a moment when Dubai’s tourism sector is consolidating its focus on renewed growth, international confidence and sustained investment.
As in previous years, ATM remains a cornerstone of DET’s annual engagement with the global travel trade, and the event provides an essential platform to connect with international partners, exchange insights on emerging trends and forge new collaborations that contribute to the continued growth of Dubai’s visitor economy.
Significance of ATM to Dubai
For DET, ATM is an indicator of the industry’s direction and demonstrates Dubai’s collaborative, public-private approach to tourism development at scale. For the emirate more broadly, the event underscores Dubai’s position as a leading global destination for business and leisure, aligned with the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, and a hub where the international travel community convenes to do business.
DET will be joined on the Dubai stand by more than 115 co-exhibitors from across the destination ecosystem and both the public and private sectors, bringing together hotels, destination management companies, tour operators and other partners to demonstrate the collaborative spirit that shapes the city’s approach to tourism. Dubai government entities represented at the stand include Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Dubai Health Experience, Dubai Municipality and the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs - Dubai.
Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), said: “Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is a moment each year when the global travel community gathers in Dubai, and it is one we value deeply. It is also a testament to visionary leadership that has over decades built a destination which is agile and confident through every cycle. We are also grateful to our public and private sector partners, who have been working in close alignment to enable business, shape new opportunities for growth, and maintain focus on our long-term strategic goals. As we navigate through a new phase of growth, investment and collaboration, platforms such as ATM are vital to strengthening international partnerships and accelerating innovation across the visitor economy.
“We are proud to once again welcome the global travel community to Dubai for ATM, and we look forward to working together with our domestic and global partners to define a more connected and future-ready industry.”
Hosted Buyers Programme
Central to DET’s participation this year is its Hosted Buyers Programme, which will welcome over 300 travel trade professionals and more than 40 travel trade media from 40 countries to experience Dubai’s hospitality first hand. The programme is designed to balance strategic business objectives with immersive experiences, giving invited buyers the opportunity to engage with the destination beyond the exhibition halls and to build relationships that endure long after the event concludes.
DET will use this year’s event to brief the travel trade on a range of new and upcoming developments shaping Dubai’s destination offering, discussing destination-focused plans such as the new AED128 billion passenger terminal set to open at Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International (DWC), and the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, including Palm Jebel Ali master plan, Hatta Development Plan and Jebel Ali Beach Development Project.
Through dedicated sessions and one-to-one engagement on the stand, DET and its partners will outline how these developments create fresh opportunities for the global travel trade to package and promote Dubai to new and returning visitors. Teams from across DET’s Dubai College of Tourism (DCT) and Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) will also explore their respective areas of focus and contributions to the city’s ecosystem development.
Cultural and culinary identity
Beyond its trade and business programme, the Dubai stand will give visitors a flavour of the destination’s cultural and culinary identity. With the support of Dubai Culture, Emirati artist Mariam Abbas’ works will be showcased throughout the stand, offering a glimpse of Dubai’s contemporary art scene. Visitors will also be able to sample Dubai’s food and beverage culture, with a dedicated café featuring three local brands – Karam Coffee, Estekanah Chai and Camelicious – offering a distinct taste of the destination’s evolving culinary scene. Also on display will be Salt & Sand, a newly published guidebook to Emirati cuisine, further reflecting the breadth of Dubai’s gastronomic identity and its growing appeal to food-focused travellers.
In the months leading up to ATM 2026, DET has maintained steady engagement with stakeholders within the emirate and audiences across its source markets. A ‘City Briefing’ for stakeholders and partners that was held in June 2026 brought together more than 1,700 leaders from across Dubai’s tourism ecosystem, the largest gathering of its kind to date, sharing progress and aligning on priorities, as well as fireside chats that explored the city’s evolving narrative as a destination of choice. Through an innovative initiative, ‘A Dubai Invite’, residents were encouraged to invite their family and friends to explore the city, while a series of DET roadshows across international markets brought Dubai’s proposition directly to trade partners on the ground. DET has also continued its collaboration with Beautiful Destinations, a global leader in storytelling and strategy, including work around the Beautiful Destinations Academy, Powered by Dubai, a pioneering professional development initiative designed to set new global benchmarks for travel content creation and meet the rising demand for skilled marketing talent in the tourism sector.
DET’s participation in ATM 2026 reflects the emirate’s wider ambition, guided by the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, to further consolidate Dubai’s position as a leading global city for business and leisure and the best city to visit, live and work in. By bringing together its ecosystem of partners and welcoming the world's travel trade, DET continues to advance a model of collaborative, sustainable and innovation-led growth that has become a hallmark of Dubai's tourism story.
DET and its partners and stakeholders can be found at Stand ME1120/ME1150 in Sheikh Saeed Hall 1 at Dubai World Trade Centre during ATM 2026. -TradeArabia News Service
