Arabian Travel Market — known across the industry simply as ATM — is the Middle East’s largest travel and tourism trade show, and one of the most important dates on the global travel calendar. Each year it turns Dubai into the meeting point for the entire travel ecosystem: airlines, hotel groups, tourism boards, online travel agencies, technology providers and destination management companies from more than 160 countries.

This guide covers everything you need to plan for ATM Dubai 2026 — the confirmed dates and venue, the story behind this year’s reschedule, what actually happens across the four days, the new ATM Travel Tech halls and their exhibitors, and a clear, step-by-step path to registering, attending or exhibiting, whether you’re flying in from London, New York, Riyadh, Mumbai or Singapore. It is written to be the single most useful, up-to-date ATM 2026 resource you’ll find.

What Is ATM Dubai?

Arabian Travel Market is an annual B2B travel and tourism trade exhibition held at the Dubai World Trade Centre and organised by RX (Reed Exhibitions), one of the world’s leading events organisers. Now in its 33rd edition, ATM has spent more than three decades as the region’s central marketplace, where destinations, travel suppliers, hospitality brands, airlines, technology firms and tourism professionals meet to network, showcase products and do business.

Its position is unique because of where it sits. Dubai is a natural crossroads between East and West, and ATM reflects that — at the 2025 edition, 81% of attendees came from outside the MENA region, making it a genuinely global show rather than a purely regional one. For any travel business with ambitions in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia or the fast-growing Gulf outbound market, ATM is where the year’s most important conversations and partnerships happen. It is a trade-only event, meaning it is open to travel professionals rather than the general public, and attendance requires registration in advance.

ATM by the numbers

The show’s scale is a large part of why it matters. The 2025 edition drew more than 55,000 visitors from 166 countries, over 2,800 exhibitors and 200+ speakers, with 81% of attendees travelling from outside the MENA region. That was a 16% jump in visitor numbers on 2024, which itself hosted around 41,000 attendees and 2,300 exhibitors. In other words, ATM is not only large — it is growing, and it has become steadily more international with each edition. For 2026, following the move to September, organisers again expect tens of thousands of travel professionals from across the world.

ATM 2026 Dates, Venue & the Reschedule Explained

ATM Dubai 2026 takes place from 14 to 17 September 2026 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), on Sheikh Zayed Road in Trade Centre 2, Dubai. It runs across four days, Monday to Thursday. This is the confirmed, official schedule.

The 2026 edition has been rescheduled more than once, which has caused some understandable confusion, so here is the full timeline. ATM 2026 was originally announced for 4–7 May 2026, in line with the show’s traditional spring slot. It was then moved to 17–20 August 2026 amid regional developments, before RX confirmed the final dates of 14–17 September 2026 following consultation with exhibitors and industry stakeholders. If you have seen May or August dates quoted on other sites, they are simply out of date — September is correct, and it is confirmed on the official ATM website.

ATM 2026 opening hours

Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), Sheikh Zayed Road – Trade Centre 2, Dubai, UAE. The DWTC is centrally located with direct Dubai Metro access and is roughly 15 minutes from Dubai International Airport (DXB).

The 2026 Theme: Travel 2040

ATM 2026 is built around the theme “Travel 2040: Driving New Frontiers Through Innovation and Technology.” The period leading to 2040 is expected to be one of the most transformative eras in the history of global tourism, and the show’s agenda reflects that — focusing on how innovation is reshaping every stage of the traveller’s journey, from how trips are planned and booked to how they are experienced on the ground.

Practically, the theme runs across four pillars that shape the conference and show floor: Technology and innovation (AI-powered planning, smart mobility, AR and VR), ultra-luxury travel, business events and corporate travel, and sustainability. For technology and distribution businesses in particular, the 2026 edition leans harder into travel tech than any previous ATM — which is where the new ATM Travel Tech halls come in.

What Happens at ATM — How the Show Works

ATM is far more than a hall of stands. Across four days it combines a large exhibition floor, several conference stages, structured buyer–seller meetings and a packed calendar of networking. Here is how the pieces fit together.

The exhibition floor is organised by region and sector — national tourism boards, hotel groups, airlines, DMCs, technology providers and travel services each cluster into zones, so buyers can navigate to the inventory and partners they need. The conference programme runs across multiple stages, including the Global Stage, the Future Stage and the Experience Stage, featuring ministers, CEOs, analysts and innovators debating market data, traveller behaviour and emerging business models. Hosted buyer and networking programmes pair qualified buyers with relevant exhibitors through pre-arranged meetings, turning four days into a dense schedule of deal-making rather than chance encounters.

Alongside the core show, 2026 features several dedicated verticals: ATM Travel Tech (covered in detail below), IBTM @ ATM for the global business-events and MICE community, and the new ATM Ultra Luxury Lounge, an exclusive space connecting luxury brands with high-net-worth travel buyers. For a first-time visitor, the key is to treat ATM as a planned campaign — identify the stages, zones and meetings that matter to you before you arrive, rather than trying to see everything.

ATM is one of many shows the ZentrumHub team attends across the year — see the full calendar of travel events and shows where you can meet us, and read our recap of ATM Dubai 2025.

ATM Travel Tech 2026 & Exhibitors

The headline addition for 2026 is ATM Travel Tech, a fully co-located show that grew out of what had been ATM’s fastest-growing show-floor sector. For 2026 it expands into two dedicated halls and is expected to host more than 180 exhibitors from 30 countries, running on the same dates and directly linked to the main show.

At its heart is the Tech & Innovation Hub, an 850m² immersive zone showcasing demos across artificial intelligence, immersive technology (VR and AR), robotics, fintech and green technology. The Future Stage, a 250-seat theatre at the centre of the hub, brings together technology leaders, founders and futurists to discuss AI, immersive commerce, cybersecurity and sustainable innovation, alongside the returning Start-up Pitch Battle.

Named exhibitors already announced for ATM Travel Tech include some of the biggest names in travel distribution and technology — Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport, HBX Group (Hotelbeds) and WebBeds among them — alongside hundreds of innovators and scale-ups, including ZentrumHub at Booth TT2541.

For online travel agencies, bedbanks and platforms building on modern hotel API infrastructure, ATM Travel Tech is the most relevant part of the show. It is where the distribution and connectivity conversations happen — how AI, real-time inventory and smarter integration are reshaping the way hotels are searched, priced and booked. If your reason for attending ATM is technology and supply, this is the zone to build your schedule around.

Who Attends & Why Exhibit

ATM’s audience is a cross-section of the entire travel industry, which is exactly what makes it valuable. Understanding who is in the room helps you decide what to get out of it.

If you’re weighing up whether to exhibit, the case comes down to concentration: ATM puts 55,000+ qualified travel professionals from 160+ countries under one roof for four days, the large majority of them decision-makers with budget. For a supplier, technology provider or destination, that density of relevant buyers is very hard to replicate through outbound sales over a whole year. Prime floor space — especially in high-traffic zones like ATM Travel Tech — is allocated early, so the practical advice is to enquire well ahead and plan your stand around booking meetings, not just footfall.

How to Register & Attend ATM Dubai 2026

ATM is a trade-only event, so registration is required in advance and entry is intended for travel and tourism professionals rather than the general public. Registration is handled entirely through the official ATM website. The process is straightforward:

1. Go to the official ATM registration page at wtm.com/atm.
2. Select your visitor type — visitor, media, exhibitor, hosted buyer or other professional category.
3. Complete your business and contact details.
4. Verify your email address.
5. Receive your badge / QR code to scan for entry on-site.

A few practical tips that apply wherever you’re travelling from. Register early — ATM typically offers free or discounted entry ahead of a cut-off date, after which a fee applies, so early registration saves money and time at the door. Sort your UAE visa and travel early too, since September is a busy period in Dubai. And if you plan to exhibit rather than visit, the process is different — you submit an exhibitor enquiry through the official site to discuss stand space and packages, ideally well in advance, as prime floor space is allocated early. Because the 2026 dates were rescheduled, always confirm current deadlines and pricing on the official site before planning around them.

Getting There & Planning Your Visit

The Dubai World Trade Centre sits in the heart of the city and is one of the easiest major venues in the world to reach. Here are the practicalities.

By metro: The Dubai Metro Red Line stops directly at the World Trade Centre station, right beside the venue — the simplest and cheapest way in, avoiding show-day traffic. By air: Dubai International Airport (DXB) is roughly 15 minutes away by taxi and also connects to the venue via the Red Line; Al Maktoum International (DWC) is further out to the south. By taxi or ride-hail: taxis and Careem/Uber are plentiful, though allow extra time at peak show hours. Where to stay: hotels along the Red Line — from Downtown Dubai and Business Bay to Deira — keep you a short, direct metro ride from the venue. Because ATM draws tens of thousands of visitors, book accommodation and any internal flights early, as rates climb the closer you get to the show.

Visas: many nationalities receive a UAE visa on arrival or an e-visa, but requirements vary by passport, so check well ahead and factor in processing time. September in Dubai is warm, and the venue is fully air-conditioned, so pack light, comfortable business clothing and shoes you can walk the halls in all day.

First-Timer Tips + Free Planner

The single biggest difference between a productive ATM and a wasted one is preparation. A few things that seasoned attendees do:

• Set one clear objective — new suppliers, new buyers, technology partners, or media — and build your days around it.
• Pre-book meetings before you arrive; the floor is enormous and calendars fill fast.
• Shortlist Future Stage and conference sessions in advance so you don’t miss the talks that matter to you.
• Wear comfortable shoes and pace yourself — four days across multiple halls is a marathon, not a sprint.
• Carry a digital badge and business cards, and follow up within a week while conversations are fresh.

To make that planning easier, we’ve put together a free, print-ready ATM 2026 planner with the confirmed dates, opening hours, a daily schedule grid, a meeting tracker and a pre-show checklist. No email required — just save it or print it and take it with you.

Meet ZentrumHub at Booth TT2541

ZentrumHub will be exhibiting at ATM Dubai 2026 in the ATM Travel Tech zone at Booth TT2541, across all four days. We help online travel agencies, bedbanks and travel platforms connect to 100+ hotel suppliers through a single universal hotel API — reaching 900,000+ deduplicated hotels with sub-500ms response times, with connectivity, mapping and routing handled for you, so you can launch and scale without managing dozens of separate integrations.

One thing that makes our booth different: you won’t be meeting sales reps — you’ll be meeting the people who built the company. All five of our leaders will be on the floor for the full four days:

Whether you’re an OTA looking to broaden inventory, a supplier wanting wider distribution through Zentrum Connect, or a platform evaluating 100+ hotel suppliers through one connection, come and see it live. Meetings at ATM fill up quickly, so it’s worth booking a slot in advance — bring your roadmap and we’ll map your exact go-live path on the spot.

Frequently Asked Questions