ATM 2025: Business travel trends dominate Day 1 of Arabian Travel Market
Experts predict 6.1 percent growth in regional business travel spending
DUBAI: Business travel in 2025 remains resilient, but powerful new forces are reshaping how and why professionals journey for work. Economic stability, shifting budgets, technological advancements, sustainability priorities, and evolving traveller expectations have emerged as defining influences. As the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025 officially opened today at Dubai World Trade Centre, these themes took centre stage at the newly launched IBTM@ATM Zone, drawing key voices from across the sector.
Gathered at the debut of the Business Events Stage, regional and international experts discussed the strong but changing corporate travel landscape. In a session titled State of the Nation: Navigating the Future of Business Travel in the Middle East, presented in partnership with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), analysis centred on the market forces steering business travel spending and strategies.
What drives change?
Catherine Logan, Regional Senior Vice President EMEA and APAC at GBTA, underscored that while business travel remains critical in 2025, ongoing transformational change is unavoidable. “Economic stability, budgetary considerations, remote and hybrid work models, technological disruption, the evolution of sustainable practices, and traveller-centric approaches will collectively redefine how companies manage corporate mobility,” she explained. Logan further emphasised that responsibly managed business travel serves as a significant catalyst for advancing business objectives, governmental initiatives, economic growth, and individual empowerment.
How is the Middle East performing?
Fresh data from the 2024 GBTA Business Travel Index Outlook Report provided compelling context. The Middle East now accounts for 1.2 percent of global business travel expenditure, having surpassed all other regions in the post-COVID recovery. Regional business travel spending in 2024 reached Dh66.47 billion ($18.1 billion), marking a 19.4 percent increase compared to pre-pandemic levels. Moreover, forecasts project a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1 percent in 2025, further establishing the Middle East’s growing strategic importance within the global corporate and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) landscape.
Ciaran Kelly, Managing Director of Middle East & Africa at FCM Travel, pointed to buoyant regional demand driven by extensive public and private sector projects. “It is almost impossible to get a seat on a plane from Dubai to Riyadh. Hotel occupancy across the region is consistently around the 70 to 80 percent mark, the highest globally, creating significant pressure but reflecting extremely strong fundamentals,” he said.
Kelly’s observations illustrated the momentum underpinning Middle Eastern markets. Increasing flight demand, limited hotel availability, and robust infrastructure investment were cited as critical factors accelerating growth across key destinations.
What insights are shared?
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME for Arabian Travel Market, highlighted the value of the IBTM@ATM sessions. “Understanding the shifts in business travel spending is essential for companies that want to remain competitive and resilient in a fast-evolving market. Sessions like this at IBTM@ATM provide actionable insights and real-world analysis, empowering attendees to navigate shifting travel patterns and identify new opportunities across the Middle East and beyond,” she noted.
The Business Events Stage will continue offering rich insights through Wednesday, 30 April. Upcoming sessions include explorations of artificial intelligence integration in business travel, strategies for future-proofing corporate mobility programmes, debates on human connection versus AI in events, innovations in Chinese outbound MICE travel, and critical discussions around achieving net zero carbon emissions in the global events industry.
Climate action remains a strong theme, with panels dedicated to forging strategic partnerships that advance environmental stewardship across business travel sectors.
ATM 2025
The 32nd edition of Arabian Travel Market, operating under the theme ‘Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity’, has attracted more than 55,000 travel professionals from 166 countries this week, reinforcing Dubai’s pivotal role as a global hub for tourism, trade, and investment collaboration.
ATM 2025 is being held in collaboration with Dubai World Trade Centre, with Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) as Destination Partner. Emirates serves as the Official Airline Partner, IHG Hotels & Resorts as the Official Hotel Partner, and Al Rais Travel as the Official DMC Partner.
Throughout the week, delegates will engage with cutting-edge discussions on global tourism trends, market recovery trajectories, connectivity enhancements, and sustainable development strategies, further solidifying Arabian Travel Market’s reputation as one of the most influential travel and tourism events worldwide.