From Travel Confidence to Event Growth: Why the UAE Remains Well Positioned
By Douglas Emslie
Partner, Manta Media Capital and Founder, Manta Middle East
Business events run on confidence.
Not just confidence in the organiser, the venue or the programme. Confidence that people will travel. Confidence that buyers will show up. Confidence that sponsors can justify the investment. Confidence that the market is worth backing.
When confidence is shaken, the impact is immediate. Travel decisions slow. Corporate approvals become harder. International teams pause. Organisers start having different conversations with exhibitors, speakers and partners.
That has been the reality across parts of the Middle East in recent months.
Regional uncertainty has created understandable caution. But what I find interesting now is not just that confidence is returning. It is how it is returning.
In the UAE, confidence is not being left to sentiment. It is being strengthened through visible, practical measures.
Airlines are reducing travel friction. Destination bodies are reinforcing market assurance. Travel advisories are beginning to move in a more constructive direction. Major events remain firmly on the calendar. And the UAE continue to show strong underlying performance as a business events destination.
That combination matters.
The first signal: Travel friction is being reduced
For business events, travel confidence is commercial infrastructure.
If delegates are unsure whether they are covered, they hesitate.
If exhibitors are uncertain about moving teams, budgets slow.
If international speakers and buyers cannot get clear guidance, the quality of the room changes.
That is why the recent moves from Emirates and Etihad matter.
Emirates recently introduced a comprehensive travel cover that includes disruption support and conflict-related medical expense protection. Etihad Airways, together with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, has announced complimentary medical travel insurance for eligible international visitors flying to or through Abu Dhabi from July to December 2026.
These are not just travel products. They are confidence boosters.
They answer a very practical question many international travellers and companies ask: if circumstances change, what happens next?
For an industry built on physical attendance, that question matters more than most people realise.
The second signal: Travel decision-making is becoming clearer
Official travel guidance from international markets is beginning to move in a more constructive direction.
The UK’s FCDO updated its advice, no longer advising against all but essential travel to the UAE. Australia has also lowered its travel advice for the UAE from “Do Not Travel” to “Reconsider your need to travel”.
That matters because travel advisories do more than shape perception. They affect whether travellers can secure valid insurance cover, and whether companies feel able to approve trips for their teams, clients and partners.
None of this means caution has disappeared, and it should not be read that way. Both the UK and Australian guidance still point to an unpredictable regional environment and the need for travellers and companies to monitor developments carefully.
But the shift is important.
When official guidance changes, the decision-making environment changes with it. Travel insurers, corporate travel teams and individual travellers all have more clarity to assess their options and move forward where appropriate.
For business events, that clarity is critical.
The sector does not need people to ignore uncertainty. It needs enough confidence for companies to commit teams, send buyers, support speakers and continue participating in the events that matter to their industries.
That is how momentum starts to rebuild.
The third signal: The UAE is building from strength
The UAE is not starting from a standing start.
Dubai welcomed 19.59 million international overnight visitors in 2025, its third consecutive record year. Dubai Business Events also secured 504 successful bids in 2025 for future events, expected to bring more than 272,000 delegates through 2029. Dubai World Trade Centre welcomed nearly 3 million participants across 401 events in the same year.
Abu Dhabi has shown similar momentum, welcoming 26.6 million visitors in 2025, with MICE delegate numbers reaching 2.2 million.
The point is not simply that the UAE has strong venues, infrastructure or visitor numbers. The point is that it has a mature business events system that can respond quickly when sentiment shifts.
That matters now.
When travel confidence improves, the UAE already has the demand base, calendar, destination capability and sector relevance to turn that confidence back into meetings, launches, partnerships and commercial activity.
The fourth signal: The H2 calendar gives the market something to rally around
Confidence in business events is only useful if it turns into people showing up, meetings happening and deals moving forward.
That is why the UAE’s second-half calendar matters.
Arabian Travel Market, WETEX, ADIPEC, Gulfood Manufacturing and GITEX Global are just some of the significant events across sectors, including travel, energy, sustainability, food manufacturing and technology.
Their importance is not just that they remain on the calendar. It is that they give industries a reason to keep travelling, investing and meeting in the region.
For organisers, sponsors and international brands, that is important.
When events of this scale take place, they help the market see what is actually happening on the ground: who is attending, how buyers are behaving, where sponsors are investing and which sectors still have momentum.
In business events, confidence is not measured in sentiment alone. You see it in the room.
What this means for founders, organisers and international brands
The next phase of the UAE events market will not reward optimism on its own.
It will reward businesses that are clear about who they serve, why they matter and how they create value beyond a single edition.
That applies whether you are a founder launching a new concept, an independent organiser looking to scale, or an international brand exploring the UAE and wider Middle East for growth.
The opportunity is there, but the market will expect more discipline.
Strong audience demand.
Clear commercial thinking.
Local relevance.
The right partnerships.
A model that can repeat, grow and demonstrate resilience.
That is where the next chapter becomes interesting.
The UAE has already proven it can host world-class events. The bigger opportunity now is to build more scalable event businesses from the region.
At Manta Middle East, that is the space we are focused on.
We launched the platform to support founders, independent organisers and international event businesses with more than capital. The region needs operating experience, market access, strategic guidance and long-term thinking around event platforms that can create real value.
The market is not standing still. Neither should we.