How Business Travel in UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman Leading to Global Recovery, Latest Update for You to Understand the Meetings and Events Industry Sector in Middle East - Travel And Tour World (2025)

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

How business travel in UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman is redefining global trends is the big story of 2025. Understanding how business travel in UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman is driving the sector forward is essential for everyone watching the future of global recovery. From conferences in Dubai to meetings in Riyadh, how business travel in UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman is pushing the world’s economy forward cannot be underestimated. Every report emphasizes how business travel in UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman continues to ignite unparalleled momentum, offering the latest update for you to understand the meetings and events industry sector in Middle East.

Today’s discussions at IBTM@ATM 2025 showcase precisely how business travel in UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman accelerates global recovery strategies. The latest update for you to understand the meetings and events industry sector in Middle East shows that MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) activities have never been more dynamic. Corporates are zeroing in on how business travel in UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman transforms the global outlook, and every expert agrees — the latest update for you to understand the meetings and events industry sector in Middle East reflects unprecedented growth.

For more such breaking travel news, travel industry news, travelupdates, travel alert, tourism insights and exclusive articles and the latest updates on tourism, download our all new Travel and Tour World Mobile Application. Download Now.

If you want to future-proof your travel, events, or hospitality strategies, it starts with recognizing how business travel in UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman is reshaping opportunities. Stay tuned — the latest update for you to understand the meetings and events industry sector in Middle East is more essential than ever.As global economies continue to recalibrate in the aftermath of the pandemic, one clear frontrunner has emerged in business travel recovery: the Middle East. According to new insights shared at the IBTM@ATM Business Events Stage during Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025, business travel spending across the Middle East has surged to 19.4% above pre-COVID levels — outperforming every other global region.

This remarkable rebound, revealed during sessions at IBTM@ATM 2025, signals not just resilience, but a transformation in how the Middle East is positioning itself as a critical hub in the global corporate travel and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) landscape.

A Stronger, Smarter Business Travel Market in 2025

Business travel in 2025 remains fundamentally strong, but experts at IBTM@ATM 2025 emphasized that evolving factors are reshaping how and why professionals travel. From changing economic conditions and tighter corporate budgets to rapid technological advances and rising sustainability expectations, the forces influencing corporate travel are dynamic and complex.

Catherine Logan, Regional Senior Vice President EMEA and APAC at the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), captured the mood perfectly: “The business case for travel is strong, but transformational changes are inevitable. Technology, sustainability, budgets, and the evolving expectations of the business traveler are now core to every company’s travel strategy.”

Click Now: Discover any news about travel, tourism, trade shows at the Travel And Tour World, including breaking travel news and weekly travel updates for travel trade, airlines, cruise, railways, technology, travel association, DMCs, and video interviews and promotional videos.

Middle East: A Model of Post-COVID Business Travel Resurgence

Unlike many regions where corporate travel remains sluggish, the Middle East has raced ahead. Driven by regional mega projects, public-private sector collaborations, and strong government-led visions like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and UAE’s D33 Agenda, business travel spend in the Middle East reached $18.1 billion in 2024, exceeding pre-pandemic benchmarks.

The GBTA Business Travel Index Outlook Report attributes the Middle East’s success to several key factors:

• Heavy investments in infrastructure, aviation, and hospitality
• A surge in mega-events such as Expo 2020 Dubai and the upcoming Saudi Expo 2030
• Business diversification across finance, tourism, technology, and energy sectors
• Government-backed sustainability initiatives aimed at greener corporate travel

This growth, combined with the Middle East’s global connectivity and regulatory support for business events, positions the region as a magnet for international corporate travelers.

Technology: Shaping the New Corporate Travel Blueprint

One of the most discussed topics at IBTM@ATM 2025 is the role of technology in future-proofing business travel. From AI-driven booking platforms to real-time itinerary management and carbon footprint calculators, companies are leveraging technology to make travel more efficient, personalized, and sustainable.

Sessions highlighted how emerging platforms are using AI not just to optimize travel budgets, but to predict traveler needs, create dynamic duty-of-care protocols, and even personalize sustainability options during booking.

As hybrid work models become the norm, companies are using technology to determine when travel is necessary and when a virtual connection suffices — helping to refine corporate travel policies while reducing unnecessary environmental impact.

For Latest Travel News: Find latesttourism industry newsfrom every corner of the globe at Travel And Tour World, your only online source for breaking internationaltravel newscoverage.

Sustainability: A Non-Negotiable Pillar for Business Travel

Sustainability was once a peripheral topic; in 2025, it is central to every discussion about business travel strategy. Speakers at IBTM@ATM 2025 stressed that clients, employees, and stakeholders increasingly demand environmentally responsible practices in corporate mobility.

Middle East companies are responding. New carbon offset programs for flights, eco-certifications for hotels, and sustainability-linked MICE venue contracts are rapidly becoming the standard. Leading organizations are aligning their business travel goals with global climate initiatives, pushing the regional travel sector to adapt at an accelerated pace.

Notably, the Business Events Stage is hosting dedicated sessions on achieving net-zero emissions in business events and how sustainability is reshaping venue selection, flight choices, and incentive travel planning.

Traveller Expectations: A Changing Landscape

The modern business traveler in 2025 demands more than just efficient itineraries. Well-being, personalized experiences, flexibility, and technology integration are high on the agenda. Corporate travelers expect seamless, frictionless journeys that minimize disruption and maximize impact.

According to findings presented at IBTM@ATM 2025, companies that prioritize traveler-centric programs — offering greater autonomy, better work-life balance on the road, and eco-conscious options — report higher employee satisfaction and stronger return on travel investment (ROTI).

For the latest travel news, travel updates and travel deals, airline news, cruise news, technology updates, travel alerts, weather reports, insider insights, exclusive interviews, subscribe now to the daily TTW newsletter.

MICE Sector: Expanding Opportunities for the Middle East

Business travel recovery is intrinsically tied to the resurgence of the MICE sector. Events such as ATM 2025 showcase how the Middle East is leveraging this momentum. Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, and Abu Dhabi are aggressively marketing themselves as world-class MICE destinations, offering cutting-edge venues, expansive hospitality offerings, and ease of international access.

The 2025 outlook for MICE in the Middle East is bullish, with key sectors like finance, technology, health, and renewable energy planning major conferences and exhibitions across the region.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME for ATM, noted: “The Middle East is now a benchmark for how to rebuild business events post-COVID. Our infrastructure, strategy, and global partnerships are setting new standards for resilience and growth.”

IBTM@ATM: A Catalyst for Future-Ready Business Travel

The creation of the IBTM@ATM Business Events Stage at ATM 2025 has provided a vital new platform for dialogue, education, and innovation across the corporate travel sector. It reflects how essential business events are in shaping not just regional but global economic recovery narratives.

Topics explored this year range from AI in event planning to the future of human-AI collaboration in business events, strategies for future-proofing corporate travel, and trends driving the next generation of incentive travel.

Conclusion: A Defining Moment for Business Travel in the Middle East

The Middle East’s business travel sector is leading a global renaissance in 2025, powered by resilience, adaptability, innovation, and a deep understanding of evolving corporate needs. With spending 19.4% above pre-COVID benchmarks and technology and sustainability driving the next wave of transformation, the region stands as a model for how to build stronger, smarter, and more sustainable business travel ecosystems.

IBTM@ATM 2025 has made one thing clear: the future of business travel is no longer about returning to the old normal — it’s about embracing a bold, dynamic new vision where the Middle East plays a central, indispensable role.

Get the latest news and real-time travel industry updates in 104 regional languages, with breaking travel news and live coverage across multilingual platforms.

Get daily dose of news from Travel Industry, by subscribing to Travel And Tour World newsletters. Subscribe here.

Watch Travel And Tour World Interviews here.

Read more Travel News, Daily Travel Alert, and Travel Industry News on Travel And Tour World only.
Do you have a story tip related to the travel industry? Email us: [emailprotected]