Dubai: The UAE’s tourism sector has moved beyond the recent period of regional disruption and is entering a new phase of growth, Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri said at Arabian Travel Market 2026.
“The descending is over, and let's prepare for ascending. We are going to take off. Our tourism sector is yet to begin from the date of today onward,” he said, adding that resilience should be seen as something built into the sector, rather than simply a response to crises.
“Everyone talks about tourism resiliency. I talk about tourism foundations because what we have built in the last 50 years is a foundation of what we saw in the last months.”
Speaking on the Global Stage at this year’s ATM, where ministers, UN officials and industry leaders gathered to reflect on recent regional instability and the future of tourism, Al Marri pointed to decisions taken by operators during the disruption.
Rather than resorting to short-term discounting, operators managed to keep employment up and did not "slash their prices," he said. This has, according to the minister, protected the destination's long-term brand and stability in workforce.
Reflecting on the recent regional instabilities, the minister also added that due to the decades over which the sector was built, it paved the way for the region's sector to withstand the shocks. "We saw the storm and we managed it. We are ready for the next one... whatever storms hit our shores; we are ready to take it on."
The 33rd edition of Arabian Travel Market is taking place from September 14 to 17 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Held under the theme “Travel 2040: Driving New Frontiers Through Innovation and Technology”, the event is expected to feature more than 210 speakers from government and the private sector across three stages, the Global Stage, Future Stage and Experience Hub. More than 80 sessions are scheduled over the four days, covering industry resilience, international cooperation, artificial intelligence, aviation and connectivity, hospitality, changing traveller behaviour, investment, sustainability and business events.
Besides Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, other officials also joined the debate, including Shaikha Al Nuwais, Secretary General for UN Tourism, Fatima Jaafar Al Sairafi, Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Bahrain, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism and Abdulaziz Akkulov, Chairman, Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
When asked about what will be done differently next time a crisis hit, Al Nuwais stated that early coordination is what makes the difference. "The countries that handle crisis best are the ones that prepare before they happen. They build relationships early, they share information, and they build trust," she said and added that they are ready to withstand any crisis, because the prior one has left the system stronger.
If Akkulov should describe the past months lessons he would say "Preparedness and collaboration," which are words the Al Sairafi also tapped into. She reinforced the importance of groundwork being laid in advance.
"Collaboration is not built overnight. It is built way before any conflict. Us as Gulf countries, having that foundation was a true test to that resilience, and that is what allowed the GCC to act together around the tourism and travel sector.
The panel said that many travellers have a tendency to see the GCC as 'one networked' region. "So rather than viewing neighbouring countries as competitors it is important to build a strong narrative about a wide joint GCC that travellers can enjoy," Al Sairafi said.
To the question about how the GCC can grow even stronger together in resilience, Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri said local investment is an important factor.
"In the past, our economies depend upon a global debate, which is efficiency, today redundancies mean cost, you need to really think about resilience from local parties, that can actually build that kind of resiliency and how to support them."
