This year’s show will see notable growth in participation from key regions including Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas, reflecting continued recovery and rising demand across the global tourism industry.

According to recent data from the World Tourism Barometer by UN Tourism, an estimated 1.4 billion international tourists were recorded globally in 2024, an 11% increase from the previous year. In addition, total export revenues from tourism, including passenger transport, reached a record USD1.9 trillion last year. 

The report also indicated that the Middle East was the best-performing region compared to 2019, with international arrivals rising by 32% last year from pre-pandemic levels. The outlook is promising for international tourist arrivals in 2025, which are anticipated to grow by three to five per cent.

“Asia is the fastest-growing region at ATM 2025, with a projected 27% year-on-year increase in exhibitors this year. This growth is largely attributed to enhanced regional connectivity and stronger links with international markets, driving expansion opportunities. It’s not only national tourism organisations that are contributing to this growth but also regional and city-level destinations, with private sector participation on the rise,” said Danielle Curtis, exhibition director ME, Arabian Travel Market.

Countries such as Japan, Macao, the Maldives, Mauritius, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, China, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India are playing a pivotal role. India is anticipated to witness a remarkable 41% increase in participation at ATM this year, which includes a stronger presence from the Ministry of Tourism and major national airline carriers, among other stakeholders.

Regional tourist boards, including Rajasthan Tourism, the Government of Goa, Andhra Pradesh Tourism, the Phuket Tourist Association, Hong Kong, and the Jakarta Provincial Government, are also contributing to Asia’s growing presence at ATM.

Reflecting the region’s continued infrastructure growth and appeal to both business and leisure travellers, participation from Middle East exhibitors at the event has grown by 17%. Saudi Arabia’s participation continues to rise at ATM, where the country’s giga projects and many prominent private sector companies from the Kingdom will be showcased to an international audience.

With its cultural diversity and historical tourism appeal, Europe is on track for steady growth of 12%, with participants from across the continent participating in the upcoming edition of ATM. Meanwhile, exhibitor participation from Africa and the Americas remains in line with last year’s edition.

ATM 2025 will centre on the theme “Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity,” underscoring the importance of connectivity in shaping the industry’s future. The event is set to attract over 47,000 attendees and feature over 2,600 exhibitors from more than 161 global destinations.

Across three main stages, which include the Global Stage, Future Stage and the all-new Business Events stage, attendees will have the opportunity to gain insights from more than 200 high-profile speakers across 60 conference sessions. The ATM Conference programme will explore key international regions, including specialised sessions on important source markets such as Asia-Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LATAM) and India.

Euromonitor International will lead the Global Market Insights: APAC session, revealing the latest trends influencing travel in the region and providing insights on the profiles of travellers in the APAC market. Attendees can discover market insights, investment opportunities, and strategies to tap into the high-potential LATAM region during Score Global Growth in LATAM. Meanwhile, a regional expert will discuss India's Next Gen Traveller and the country’s rising tourism market.  

Curtis concluded: “ATM 2025 presents a unique opportunity for stakeholders in the travel and tourism industry to engage with influential players from across the globe. Participants can stay informed about emerging industry trends, connect with key decision-makers, and establish valuable partnerships. These collaborations aim to drive innovation and shape the future direction of global travel and tourism.”

UAS was honoured in three categories:

Ground Support Service Provider of the Year (Business Aviation)

Enduring Excellence Awards (25 years of Excellence)

Outstanding Contribution to Business Aviation

"We are delighted to receive these awards, particularly as we celebrate our 25th anniversary later this year. Since our inception, we have dedicated ourselves to consistently exceeding our clients’ expectations and redefining the ultimate flight experience with the most customised and flexible trip support and charter solutions on the market. We are incredibly proud of the reliability, quality, and operational excellence that has defined UAS for two and a half decades,” said Omar Hosari, UAS founder and CEO.

The airline was named “Airline of the Year” for the second time and also received the “Trailblazer Award for Outstanding New Service Launch."

Francois Oberholzer, chief financial officer at flydubai, said: “we are dedicated to innovation and our focus remains on being customer-centric. We are pleased that this has been recognised once again at this year’s Aviation Achievement Awards. Over the past year, we have expanded our operations, strengthened our in-house capabilities and enhanced our product offering, enabling us to redefine the travel experience beyond traditional airline categories. As we continue to grow our fleet and network, we look forward to welcoming more passengers on board with a comfortable and pleasant travel experience and reinforcing Dubai’s position as a global tourism and aviation hub.”

IndiGo has received this award for the third consecutive year in this category. The airline was also ranked fourth in Asia for maintaining a modern and efficient fleet with an average aircraft age of just 4.38 years. Currently, IndiGo has a fleet of over 400 aircraft, serving over 125 destinations. 

Pieter Elbers, chief executive officer, IndiGo said: “We are humbled to be recognised as the airline with the World’s Youngest Aircraft Fleet 2025 by ch-aviation. This recognition reinforces IndiGo’s steadfast commitment to operate on a modern, fuel-efficient fleet that prioritises reliability, efficiency, and sustainability, as we expand towards new heights and across new frontiers. We are dedicated to offer seamless and efficient travel to our esteemed customers.” 

The airline opened Web Summit Qatar 2025 showcasing its Sama’s AI Booking, Dream Destination – The Pulse, QVerse Multi-Sensory Experience, AI Menu, Privilege Club Collection, and Reward Seat Finder.  

Qatar Airways Group chief executive officer, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “Qatar Airways’ partnership extension with Web Summit Qatar illustrates our commitment to innovation and highlights our pursuit of adopting cutting-edge technological advancements to deliver leading passenger experiences. As the national carrier of the State of Qatar, we are also honoured to support further our country’s ambitions of technological growth and innovations.” 

Qatar Airways chief commercial officer, Thierry Antinori, said: “Qatar Airways is increasingly leveraging innovative technologies to enhance and streamline the customer experience. We aim to provide our passengers with excellence from the moment they open the Qatar Airways mobile application or website, and our team has developed digital AI tools to guide and engage our passengers throughout their booking and travel experiences. We look forward to seeing visitors discover the Qatar Airways pavilion and the ground-breaking technology they can engage with.”

Day 4 of SHOW BUSINESS highlights a UAE-made unmanned ground vehicle from TAG Dynamics that is turning heads at IDEX, while elsewhere the rise of manned-unmanned air operations between drones and next-generation fighters comes under the spotlight.

Read all the news from Day 4 here.

Day 3 of SHOW BUSINESS led with a story from Airbus discussing the possibility of UAE-based firms taking on A400M airlifter work to help the European manufacturer secure its first orders for the type in the Middle East.

Read all the news from Day 3 here.

The launch of Powertech, the UAE’s ambitious play to develop an indigenous range of engines to power its own and other aircraft, is the lead story in the second issue of SHOW BUSINESS at IDEX.

Read all the news from Day 2 here.

The 2025 editions of IDEX and NAVDEX in the United Arab Emirates opened with a splash with the organisers heralding record numbers of exhibitors and a highest-ever number of UAE-based companies taking part.

Read all the news from Day 1 here.

The company also launched 46 ground-breaking solutions and services across the air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains. 

IDEX 2025, the largest edition to date, enabled EDGE to showcase its diverse portfolio of 218 advanced solutions, the vast majority of which are UAE made, at its massive 9,000 sqm stand at the landmark defence and technology event.

Among the sixteen contracts awarded was a major EUR 500 million deal announced by MAESTRAL, a naval joint venture between EDGE and Fincantieri, for In Service Support (ISS) of the UAE’s naval fleet; a contract by UAE Ministry of Defence to supply aerial munitions at a value of US$1.18 billion; and a US$ 61.8 million contract, also from the UAE Ministry of Defence for the supply of advanced GPS PROTECT anti-jamming systems. 

At the closing of the event, Hamad Al Marar, EDGE Group Managing Director & CEO, commented: “This has been a very busy week for EDGE, and the support of our main customer and solid commitments and interest from international customers and partners, highlights the tremendous success we continue to enjoy. IDEX 2025 gave us the ideal platform from which we showcased how far we have come and the heights we are aiming for in the future as a global leader in advanced technology for the defence and civilian spheres.

“EDGE is firmly committed to playing a pivotal role in the strengthening of the UAE’s indigenous defence offerings, to continuously disrupting the industry, and our own capabilities, with faster development, speedier delivery, and at revolutionary price points. We will grow and excel through partnerships, and we will strive to always remain ahead of the game across air, land, sea and space domains, and in the provision of superior world-class electronic warfare, secure communications, and sovereign cryptography and post-quantum capabilities, for the challenges of tomorrow. We look forward to the next edition of IDEX in 2027, where I am confident EDGE will once again surprise the industry with the huge achievements few considered possible five years ago.”