Arab Travel Market launches technology track in Dubai: voice and conversational AI drive booking platforms to 2040

The Arab Travel Market is preparing to launch its 33rd edition at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 14 to 17 September 2026, under the theme “Travel in 2040: Anticipating New Horizons through Innovation and Technology”. The conference, organized by RX Global in partnership with its strategic partners, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, Emirates Airlines, IHG Hotels and Resorts, and Al Rees Travel, places artificial intelligence applications, digital transformation, and smart mobility at the forefront of discussions aimed at reshaping the global travel experience after a period of operational volatility.

The “Travel Technology” track is being launched as a specialized accompanying exhibition that represents the most prominent structural transformation in this year’s edition, with Cyber participating as a strategic partner.This track, together with the Innovation and Technology Center, showcases the latest developments in artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, robotics, fintech, and smart mobility solutions. It coincides with Al Rees Travel’s announcement of the launch of its new digital platform powered by voice and conversational AI to accelerate itinerary planning and offer personalized options, as well as to enhance medical tourism services by linking travelers with healthcare providers worldwide.

The press conference held at the Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina highlighted the integration of public-private partnerships to meet travelers’ expectations. Issam Kazem, CEO of Dubai Tourism and Commercial Marketing Authority, affirmed that the event supports the Dubai Economic Agenda “D33” targets to double the emirate’s economy and cement its position as a leading global destination for business and leisure by accelerating innovation in the visitor economy. In parallel, Adnan Kazem, Vice President and CEO of Commercial Affairs at Emirates Airlines, emphasized the importance of deepening joint tourism relations and initiatives to serve specialized traveler segments. Haitham Matar, head of IHG in India, the Middle East and Africa, explained that the next phase requires converting growing hotel investments into long-term sustainable demand by leveraging data and technology to remove obstacles from the guest experience.

The shift toward smart booking interfaces and voice applications is reshaping the technical infrastructure requirements for travel and hospitality operators in the Gulf, Egypt, and the Middle East.As consumers move to conversational planning tools, local travel agencies and regional airlines face the need to update APIs and connect operational databases directly to digital assistants. This shift moves competition from merely owning an online booking platform to providing live data streams that determine seat and room availability with high flexibility, requiring advanced programming skills for data integration while preserving financial transaction privacy and travelers’ preferences.

The expanded program across the Global Stage, Future Stage, and Experience Platform includes sessions that examine destination flexibility, the aviation sector, events, sustainability, and investment, in collaboration with knowledge partners Tourism Economics, Euromonitor International, and Dragon Trail International. This momentum gives technology leaders in the region a clear opportunity to assess local infrastructure readiness for travel automation and the wave of personalized services that will shape the next decade.