Dubai, UAE: Experts at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025, currently underway in Dubai, have highlighted a projected 6.1% growth in Middle East business travel spending in 2025. Discussions at the newly launched IBTM@ATM Zone emphasized the region’s strong post-COVID performance and its increasing importance in the global corporate travel sector.
Strong Growth Amidst Transformation: Middle East Business Travel in 2025
The session, “State of the Nation: Navigating the Future of Business Travel in the Middle East,” a collaboration with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), provided a detailed analysis of the factors shaping corporate travel budgets and strategic decisions. Key takeaways from the discussion at ATM 2025 include the continued strength of business travel in the Middle East in 2025, alongside its adaptation to shifting global economic conditions, budgetary pressures, technological advancements, the growing focus on sustainability, and the changing expectations of business travellers.
Middle East Leads Post-COVID Recovery in Business Travel
Catherine Logan, Regional Senior Vice President EMEA and APAC for GBTA, noted the fundamental strength of business travel while highlighting the ongoing transformation in how work-related travel occurs worldwide. Factors such as economic stability, budget considerations, evolving work models, the integration of technology, the rise of sustainable travel practices, and a greater emphasis on the individual traveler experience are key drivers of this evolution. Logan also underscored the positive impact of strategically managed business travel on businesses, governments, economies, and individuals.
Data from the 2024 GBTA Business Travel Index Outlook Report, presented at ATM 2025, revealed the Middle East’s leading role in the post-COVID recovery of business travel. While accounting for 1.2% of global business travel expenditure, the region has seen spending surge to 19.4% above pre-pandemic levels. Estimated business travel spending in the Middle East reached $18.1 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.1% in 2025. This robust growth, highlighted at ATM, underscores the region’s increasing strategic significance within the international corporate travel and events ecosystem.
Regional Projects Fuel Business Travel Boom
Ciaran Kelly, Managing Director of Middle East & Africa for FCM Travel, corroborated this positive outlook, citing customer trends, survey results, and internal forecasts. He attributed much of the regional business travel growth to the numerous public and private sector projects currently underway, exemplified by the high demand for air travel between hubs like Dubai and Riyadh and the significant pressure on hotel occupancy rates, which are among the highest globally (70-80%).
ATM 2025: Actionable Insights for a Changing Landscape
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME for Arabian Travel Market, emphasized the crucial need for companies to understand these evolving business travel spending patterns to remain competitive and resilient. She stated that sessions at IBTM@ATM, like the GBTA discussion, provide attendees with essential, actionable insights and real-world analysis, empowering them to navigate shifting travel patterns and identify new opportunities within the Middle East and beyond.
IBTM@ATM: Exploring Future Trends in Business Events
The Business Events Stage at IBTM@ATM, a key feature of Arabian Travel Market 2025, will continue to explore emerging trends in business travel, the MICE sector, and corporate events until Wednesday, April 30th. Upcoming sessions will cover topics such as the integration of artificial intelligence in business travel, future-proofing corporate travel programs, the balance between human connection and AI in event experiences, new trends in outbound MICE travel from China, achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the events industry, and advancing climate action through strategic partnerships in business travel.
ATM 2025: A Global Hub for Tourism and Business
The 32nd edition of Arabian Travel Market, themed ‘Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity’, is currently hosting over 55,000 travel professionals from 166 countries at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) this week. The event reaffirms Dubai’s pivotal role as a global center for tourism and international business collaboration. ATM is held in conjunction with DWTC, with strategic partners including Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Emirates, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and Al Rais Travel.
