Although regional tensions have shaken visitor confidence and hurt tourism revenues this year, more than 2,800 exhibitors — including hotel groups, attractions, destination management firms, aviation partners, and tourism authorities — participated in the travel expo, according to event organizers.
Meanwhile, Dubai is also stepping up efforts to promote its tourism sector, adding to its recovery after earlier setbacks due to the US-Iran war.
The emirate welcomed about 869,000 international overnight visitors in August, its highest monthly figure since February 2026.
Visitor arrivals posted double-digit month-on-month growth since March, bringing Dubai's total international visitation to 6.97 million for the first eight months of 2026, according to data from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).
Meanwhile, hotel occupancy hit 66 percent in August, reaching 89 percent of August 2025 figures and a sharp recovery from just 36 percent in March.
Dubai International Airport handled around 26.6 million passengers in the first five months of 2026, down year-on-year amid regional airspace disruptions and reduced international flight connectivity.
Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), part of DET, voiced optimism about the sector's performance.
"We are proud of the way our industry has performed over recent months, as Dubai continues to welcome international visitors at significant scale, supported by a source market mix that remains consistently diverse, (with) extensive hospitality infrastructure and an evolving destination offering," he said.
This year, Dubai launched an AED2.5 billion ($680 million) support package for tourism, hospitality, and entertainment sectors. The DET-led "A Dubai Invite program" encourages residents to invite friends and family to visit the emirate by providing subsidies.
Shahab Shayan, regional director of Asia-Pacific operations under the DCTCM, who has made several recent trips to China to deepen partnerships with platforms including Ctrip, Xiaohongshu and Meituan, said he looks forward to the return of Chinese travelers.
"Whenever the tourists are ready, we are always ready," he said, adding that Dubai is also seeking to bring more Chinese companies into its tourism and wider economic ecosystem.
Ferras Hafez, associate director of commercial valuation at property consultancy Cavendish Maxwell, said the pace of recovery hinges on air connectivity and traveler confidence.
"Dubai's hospitality recovery will depend on the timely restoration of international air connectivity and traveler confidence," he said.
"However, the current slowdown should be viewed as a short-term, externally driven disruption rather than a change in the emirate's long-term hospitality growth story, supported by resilient market fundamentals and a diversified tourism offering."
As the Iran conflict has abruptly reshaped market dynamics and shaken traveler confidence, Sienna Parulis-Cook, director of marketing and communications at travel consultancy firm Dragon Trail International, said Chinese outbound travel to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is only at the start of a tentative recovery after rapid expansion in prior years.
"Based on both consumer and trade research, we forecast that true recovery of Chinese tourism to MENA will not come before (China's) October National Day holiday in 2027 — assuming regional stability holds from now on. The Chinese travel market is highly safety-conscious, and rebuilding consumer confidence will take time," she said.
Still, her firm's latest report pointed to strong long-term optimism as China's outbound tourism market has repeatedly proven its resilience, notably after the three-year COVID-19 pandemic.
"The China-GCC relationship is also stronger and more important than ever, with commitments from both sides to strengthen trade and innovation as well as bilateral tourism growth," the report said, referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
"Chinese tourism to the region has grown on the back of business travel, which will continue to support aviation links and consumer confidence," it added.
