Last year, I finally crossed off attending the Arabian Travel Market from my list of professional travel goals. As exciting as it was, it was also a little overwhelming. Imagine walking into a huge space where hundreds of travel brands, tourism boards, and industry professionals come together under one roof. This is exactly what you’d be walking into. 

One thing I was lucky enough to figure out on my own before attending was that if you walk in without a plan, you’d be wasting your time (and money, and energy). Especially because it’s not a creator-focused event; it’s more of a B2B experience. That’s why I’m here to tell you how to make the most of your Arabian Travel Market experience in case you’re a fellow travel creator attending for the first time.

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About Arabian Travel Market

Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is one of the leading international travel and tourism events, held annually in Dubai. It brings together travel professionals, government officials, media outlets, and influencers to showcase travel trends, destinations, and tourism products from around the world. 

ATM is part of the global sister event, World Travel Market (WTM). However, unlike WTM London, which is rather global, ATM is specifically tailored to the MENA region. 

P.S. The event usually takes place in Spring, but due to geopolitical events, the 2026 edition has been postponed to take place in August. 

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Is Arabian Travel Market Worth It for Creators?

I won’t deny it; most people were surprised by my presence as a creator, and not just a business owner (my blog is registered as an LTD). After all, it’s a trade show, and there’s a lot of B2B action that takes place there. But that doesn’t mean Arabian Travel Market can’t be a fruitful experience for you as a travel creator.

Attending the Arabian Travel Market is absolutely worth it for you as a creator if:

• You’re ready to pitch yourself and put yourself out there
• You’re looking to land brand partnerships
• You’re positioning yourself professionally, as a personal brand and not just a creator.

On the other hand, if you’re just going to create content, you don’t plan your visit around talking to as many brands and industry professionals as possible, and if you don’t follow up and nurture your connections, you might want to skip this event and save your money. 

How to Register as a Creator

As a travel blogger, I was eligible to apply for a media badge. For media registration, you need to qualify as a publisher, editor, journalist, broadcaster, photographer, or blogger, like yours truly. 

It’s a pretty straightforward process; you simply go to the official ATM website, fill out an application for free, and if you get accepted, you will receive your accreditation details.

How to Prepare for Arabian Travel Market

#1 Determine your goals

The first question you need to ask yourself is: what do you want out of this experience?

• Collaborations?
• Press trips?
• Networking?
• Landing freelance gigs?

As soon as you get clear on your goals, everything else will fall into place.

#2 Research exhibitors in advance

I spent hours and days doing this, because new exhibitors will keep joining the platform. So, make sure you keep revisiting this. Depending on the goals you’ve determined in the first step, you should be able to figure out what kind of exhibitors and attendees you want to connect with: tourism boards, hotels, DMCs, travel publications, tour operators, etc.

#3 Book meetings

Using the ATM Meet, the official meetings platform for the event, you can easily pre-arrange your calendar and plan your days. 

Once you figure out who you want to be meeting with, send them a meeting invite and make sure to write a compelling message, briefly introducing yourself and why you want to connect. 

Be strategic with your invites as you’ll have a limited number of those. If someone declines your invite, it should be added back to your credit. 

Don’t forget to take a look at the program of panel discussions and talks, and factor that in while putting your schedule together. If there’s a talk you’re interested in attending, then make sure the meetings you book before or after are nearby on the site map and you have enough time to walk from point A to B. One thing I did that was helpful was to block 30-minute slots before and after every meeting I had confirmed. This gave me enough time to get from one place to another, prep for meetings, or take a coffee break. 

You will most likely receive meeting invites as well. If you’re not interested in meeting with the person who invited you, make sure you decline, rather than leaving them on hold. This way, their invite credits wouldn’t go to waste, and they can still use them.

#4 Prepare your pitch

Now it’s time to work on your big pitch. You might have to make a few tweaks depending on who you’re meeting with. For instance, my pitch to tourism boards and operators was completely different from my pitch to travel publications. Every pitch should be tailored to what the other party is likely looking for. However, there are a few staples that should be included in your pitch anyway. 

Here’s what to include:

• A brief fun introduction: who you are + what you do + what you offer
• Stats and demographics (In my case, I included that for both the blog and social media. I also squeezed in a few screenshots of how Curls en Route ranked on Google for multiple blog posts.)
• Services and detailed offerings. e.g., UGC, press trips, sponsored content, affiliate marketing, etc…
• Include examples of previous work if possible.
• Contact information

Make sure to leave time for brainstorming, exchanging ideas, and receiving feedback.

P.S. You might have to make updates to your pitch during the event. For instance, I hit a traffic milestone that I needed to reflect in my stats slide. You might also want to make some improvements along the way.

Here are a few tips to make sure your pitch stands out:

• Incorporate your personal branding. For example, in my case, I used Curls en Route’s branding (fonts, color palette, logo, etc.)
• Make it visually appealing by including photos, screenshots, or infographics.
• Include brief bullet points to act as reminders for what to say instead of just reading paragraphs or long sentences off a screen. 
• And of course, practice in advance so your pitch comes off naturally. Don’t forget to time it as well, so you don’t lose track of time during the actual meeting.

What to Do at Arabian Travel Market (Gameplan)

Day Strategy:

As soon as you arrive on the first day, make sure you familiarize yourself with the floor plan and the venue. The venue (The Dubai World Trade Center) is huge, but don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it by the first day. 

Each night, take time to prep for the following day by going through your pitch and maybe prepping some specifics for each meeting. For example, you might want to look at the other party’s most recent work updates, the contact person’s LinkedIn profile, and so on. 

My biggest tip? Walk the floor with intention, approach booths and pavilions confidently, and just start conversations without overthinking it. You might feel a bit anxious at first, but trust me, after a couple of meetings, the words will start rolling off your tongue so naturally, and confidence will automatically become your middle name. 

Aside from pre-scheduled meetings, make sure you leave time to walk the floor and network with industry professionals. This landed me several impromptu meetings, even unintentionally. I remember on my last day, I was supposed to have 4 meetings, and ended up having 9! One of these happened when an Egyptian entrepreneur overheard me sending a voice note in Egyptian Arabic to a peer in the corner. He came up and said hi, and the rest is history. 

What to Say:

Achieving the right balance between professionalism and casual is tricky. You’re a creator, not a salesperson, so you want to keep it casual and light. But you also want people to take you seriously, because you’re a professional just like them, and not just an amateur. 

I found that the key is simply being human and staying true to yourself. The rest will follow.

What to Collect:

Don’t just collect brochures and other promotional materials. You want direct contacts and those of the right people. Collect emails, WhatsApp numbers, and/or LinkedIn profiles. If the right contact person is there on-site, introduce yourself and have a direct link before exchanging contact information. Also, don’t solely rely on the event’s Colleqt app; it’s not that reliable.

Practical Tips

Arabian Travel Market Tips

• Download the Arabian Travel Market mobile app! This way, you can easily access the floor map, schedule, chats, and everything event-related from your phone.
• Don’t book meetings in the first hour of the event. The venue is huge, and to be honest, the organization wasn’t the best, as volunteers at the info desk lacked info. So, you’re going to need at least an hour to familiarize yourself with the venue, get the hang of the floor map, and claim your lanyard.
• Don’t forget to print your badge at home, as there are no printing facilities available.
• Block 30 minutes between your meetings and panels. Luckily, I did this because I wasn’t sure about the realistic distance between booths, and also to have breaks, and it ended up being a great idea. It was also useful as I squeezed in impromptu meetings on the spot with people I met there.
• Be very strategic with your invite credits. Unfortunately, not everyone who books meetings or accepts invites puts in the time and effort to review who they’re meeting with. So, you might end up meeting with someone who’s not as interested in the collaboration opportunity as much as you.
• Expect no-shows and last-minute cancellations, and don’t take it personally. Not everyone is professional. 
• Dedicate some of your free time to passing by booths you might be interested in. It’s a great way to exchange contacts and potentially set up impromptu meetings.

• Physical business cards still count. I made the mistake of relying on the event’s Colleqt app and digital business card I created in advance, which was also generated via a QR code. However, the Colleqt app didn’t always work, and the older professionals preferred physical over digital. Also, some booths had bowls placed for people to drop their business cards; it was helpful in case the right contact person wasn’t available on site.
• The edition I attended featured an influencers’ networking event, which required applying in advance and was only available for media badge holders. If something like that is made available once again, I highly recommend you attend, as it was a great networking opportunity for both creators and brands looking to connect with them.
• Share with your online community and network that you’ll be in Dubai and attending the event in advance (via social media and LinkedIn). You’ll land more networking inquiries in your inbox.

Travel Tips

• The best way to commute to and from the event is the metro. Traffic in Dubai has become more insane since my previous visit, and it gets much worse because of the Arabian Travel Market. So, instead of prioritizing proximity to the venue when booking accommodation, it’s best to book a place that’s right next to a metro station. Especially because Uber rides were impossible to find after the event, and in the morning, the surge was incredibly high.
• Don’t waste time pitching to hotels in Dubai during your visit to Arabian Travel Market. As creators, we often try to hit two birds with a stone and land a hotel collab to save on accommodation in Dubai, which can be quite expensive. Based on experience, you most likely won’t land a hotel collab when there’s a big event happening in Dubai due to high demand. The best deal you can land sometimes is a media rate. So, if that’s not possible, I highly recommend you book in advance and don’t waste time. 
• Hostels in Dubai are absolutely horrible. I know if you’re on a budget, especially at such a pricey destination like Dubai, you’ll be more inclined to book a hostel, but trust me, the cons are not worth it at all. This topic deserves a whole other blog post, so maybe I can write about that later. In the meantime, when in Dubai, do yourself a favor and book a hotel.
• Speaking of bookings, I highly recommend you book your flight to Dubai as soon as you get your application accepted. The later you book, the more expensive flights should be, especially with such a big event coming up. You can learn more about finding good deals on flights here.
• Make sure to install your international eSIM before you land. On my last visit to Dubai, I found out by coincidence that most international eSIMs are no longer supported, just local ones. If you have a specific preference, as I do (I love Airalo), then make sure you install it before you arrive in Dubai so it will work. Want to learn how to install an eSIM? Read this post.

Don’t forget to download an eSIM to stay connected for safety and navigation! Browse different UAE data plans from Airalo starting at USD 4 only. You can also snag a 10% discount exclusively for my readers HERE!

What to Wear at Arabian Travel Market

• The dress code for the event is business attire; think dress pants, blazers, formal sets, etc… 
• Ladies, forget about heels and wear comfortable shoes instead. You’ll be making thousands of steps each day. 
• Dubai is an incredibly hot city, but the venue is air-conditioned. So, make sure you take this into consideration when packing. 
• Bring a tote bag! You need something where you can fit a tablet or laptop to present your pitches, your notebook/planner, and throw in any promotional material you pick up.

Final Thoughts

Last but not least, if you leave Arabian Travel Market without closing a single deal, don’t be discouraged! That’s not a failure; that’s actually the norm. These events aren’t where deals are closed; it’s where they begin. 

What matters the most are the seeds you plant during the event: the connections you make, the conversations you start, and the doors you open for future partnerships. Most opportunities don’t happen overnight, or on the spot; they sometimes take weeks, months, or even more. A single follow-up email or reminder can be enough, and sometimes you need more. People get busy, their priorities change, and sometimes goals aren’t aligned at a specific point in time, but align later on, and that’s okay. 

So, don’t take it personally and don’t measure your success with what you walk away with, but rather with what you build from it later on.

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