AIDubai International welcomed a record 95.2 million guests in 2025, then saw first-half 2026 traffic fall 31.3% during the regional conflict. Dubai Airports says demand is responding as capacity returns. For operators across the region, 2026-27 is about handling disruption well, winning domestic and regional travellers, and building new services on customer data from day one.
guests at Dubai International in 2025, up 3.1%.
Government of Dubai Media Officechange in DXB traffic in the first half of 2026, to 31.5 million guests.
Government of Dubai Media Officedomestic tourists in Saudi Arabia in 2025, up 8.3%.
Ministry of Tourism data, via Argaamtourists visited Egypt in 2025, a record and 21% more than in 2024.
Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesIn brief
The four things to know before you plan.
- Dubai International handled a record 95.2 million guests in 2025, then 31.5 million in the first half of 2026 (−31.3%) during the regional conflict.
- Middle East international tourist arrivals fell 22% in the first half of 2026 (UN Tourism), while Saudi domestic trips rose 16% in the first quarter.
- Egypt welcomed a record of about 19 million tourists in 2025, 21% more than in 2024.
- New services launched in 2026: Riyadh Air’s scheduled flights from 10 June and Etihad Rail’s introductory passenger services from 30 June.
The market, country by country
| Market | 2025 | 2026 so far | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | DXB: 95.2m guests (+3.1%) | DXB first half: 31.5m (−31.3%); capacity returning | Etihad Rail passenger services (from 30 June 2026) |
| Saudi Arabia | Airports: 140m+ passengers (~+9%); 93.3m domestic tourists (+8.3%) | Q1: domestic trips +16%, inbound arrivals −13% | Riyadh Air (from 10 June 2026); King Salman International Airport first terminal (2029) |
| Qatar | Hamad International: 54.3m passengers (+3%) | Airspace closed 28 February; phased reopening from 13 March | Return of full airline schedules |
| Egypt | About 19m tourists (+21%) | Tourism revenue $10.2bn in H1 FY2025/26 (+17.3%) | Grand Egyptian Museum demand (around 15,000 visitors a day) |
Sources: Government of Dubai Media Office; GACA; Ministry of Tourism data via Argaam and EnterpriseAM; Hamad International Airport; Qatar Government Communications Office; Egypt Independent; Egyptian Streets.
Six shifts to plan for
What is changing in the market, with the evidence for each shift.
3.1Handling disruption is the customer experience
Middle Eastern airline traffic in August 2026 was still more than 14% below a year earlier (IATA), and the region’s international arrivals fell 22% in the first half (UN Tourism). Rebooking and refunds at that scale need self-service, early notifications and AI agents that absorb surges, all working from one customer record.
3.2Saudi residents are the steady segment
Saudi Arabia recorded 93.3 million domestic tourists in 2025, and domestic trips rose 16% in the first quarter of 2026 while inbound arrivals fell 13% (Ministry of Tourism data). Segmentation, loyalty and offers for frequent domestic travellers matter more, with inbound campaigns ready for the recovery.
3.3New operators start digital-first
Riyadh Air began scheduled flights to London on 10 June 2026 with app booking and its Sfeer loyalty programme. Etihad Rail started introductory passenger services between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah on 30 June 2026, sold through its own app and website. Each can own its customer data, loyalty and service from the start.
3.4Biometrics and timed entry raise the data bar
Dubai Airports is expanding biometric systems, the Grand Egyptian Museum moved to online-only ticketing in December 2025, and Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority now tracks passenger journeys in real time. Consent and privacy by design become part of customer-experience design.
3.5AI moves from pilots to scale
Emirates Group is rolling out ChatGPT Enterprise across the company and setting up an AI centre of excellence (Emirates, November 2025). Travellers and regulators will ask how service and marketing AI is grounded in trusted customer and operational data, and how it is governed.
3.6Egypt is capacity-led
Egypt welcomed about 19 million tourists in 2025, and the Grand Egyptian Museum averages around 15,000 visitors a day. Pre-booking, timed entry and demand management are now central to the visitor journey.
Three ways 2027 could go
One base case from published forecasts, and what to do if it runs slower or faster.
The IMF’s October 2026 World Economic Outlook assumes shipping through the Strait of Hormuz starts to reopen in March 2027, with shipping broadly back to normal by October 2027, and projects strong 2027 growth after a 2026 contraction (Saudi Arabia +7.9%, UAE +7.7%).
Keep domestic and regional travellers as the core: loyalty offers, short-break products and service quality during schedule changes.
Switch inbound campaigns on market by market, with content, offers and contact-centre capacity ready before demand returns.
Dates to watch
- Winter 2026-27Dubai Airports expects stronger momentum from recovering networks and the winter schedule.
- Mar 2027IMF baseline assumption for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to start reopening.
- 2029First terminal at King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, designed for 40 million passengers.
- 2030Etihad Rail’s projection of 36.5 million passenger journeys a year.
Where to start
Where Arcsen would start, and the page that explains each one.
Disruption-ready service
Service Cloud and Agentforce for rebooking, refunds and status updates in Arabic and English, with surge capacity and human handover.
Agentforce →Loyalty and personalization
Data 360 and Marketing Cloud segment travellers by trip pattern and value for domestic and inbound offers.
Marketing Cloud & Data 360 →Digital front ends
Sitecore booking and destination sites built right-to-left and fast on mobile networks.
Sitecore →Work from the region
See how Air Cairo and EgyptAir are working with Arcsen on Salesforce and SitecoreAI.
Our work →Priorities for the next 12 months
- Run a disruption drill end to end: notifications, rebooking, refunds and agent capacity.
- Segment domestic and regional travellers and build offers for frequent trips.
- Put self-service and AI agents on your top ten contact reasons.
- Review consent and data sharing for biometrics, partners and loyalty.
- Prepare inbound campaigns for the recovery, with content ready for each source market.
- 16Pages
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- 13Sources
Take the outlook into your planning meeting.
The same research as this page, designed as 16 landscape pages with charts, a 2026-27 timeline and a priorities checklist. Free to download and share with your team.
Questions leaders ask
How many passengers did Dubai International handle in 2025 and 2026?
Dubai International welcomed 95.2 million guests in 2025, up 3.1%. In the first half of 2026 it handled 31.5 million, 31.3% fewer than a year earlier, and Dubai Airports says demand is responding as capacity returns.
How did the 2026 conflict affect travel in the Middle East?
UN Tourism reports a 22% drop in Middle East international arrivals in the first half of 2026. IATA data show Middle Eastern airline traffic in August 2026 still more than 14% below a year earlier. Qatar closed its airspace on 28 February 2026 and began a phased reopening on 13 March.
Is Saudi tourism still growing?
Domestic tourism is. Saudi Arabia recorded 93.3 million domestic tourists in 2025 (+8.3%) and tourism spending of SAR 303.7 billion (+7.0%). In the first quarter of 2026 domestic trips rose 16% while inbound arrivals fell 13%.
How many tourists visited Egypt in 2025?
About 19 million, a record and 21% more than in 2024, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The Central Bank of Egypt reported tourism revenue of about $10.2 billion in the first half of fiscal year 2025/26, up 17.3%.
What new travel services launched in the region in 2026?
Riyadh Air began scheduled flights on 10 June 2026, starting with London. Etihad Rail started introductory passenger services between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah on 30 June 2026, sold through its app and website.
Other outlooks for 2026-27
Eight more sectors, researched and sourced the same way.
Financial services outlook
Slower bank growth and tighter funding, open banking licensed in Saudi Arabia, real-time payments and fintech competition.
Read the outlook →Insurance outlook
Premiums growing faster than profits, risk-based capital from January 2027, consolidation and rising health costs.
Read the outlook →Retail and distribution outlook
Resident-led demand, electronic payments, paid membership, retail media, Egypt’s prices and e-invoicing.
Read the outlook →Public sector outlook
Agentic AI in government, published citizen-experience scores, single front doors and fewer steps.
Read the outlook →Healthcare outlook
Saudi health clusters, virtual care at scale, UAE health records, Egypt’s insurance rollout and supervised AI.
Read the outlook →Education outlook
National admissions platforms, AI in the curriculum, Dubai’s private-sector growth and cross-border recruitment.
Read the outlook →Automotive outlook
Deferred demand, weak brand loyalty, Chinese brands, aftersales, EV charging and new Saudi plants.
Read the outlook →Manufacturing outlook
Supply routes, local content rules, Saudi factory growth, Egypt’s exports and service on the installed base.
Read the outlook →Talk to the people behind this outlook
To discuss what it means for your organization, contact us directly.
Planning for 2026-27?
Talk to the people delivering Salesforce, Sitecore and Agentforce in Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha and Cairo.
Sources and method
Arcsen is a Salesforce Summit Partner and Sitecore partner with teams in Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha and Cairo. This outlook uses official statistics, regulator and government publications, company filings and established research, checked on 25 October 2026. Where a figure comes from a news report of official data, the source below names both. We update this page as new data is published.
- DXB sets new global benchmark as record traffic volumes become the norm, Government of Dubai Media Office, 11 February 2026.
- DXB enters stronger second half as capacity returns and investment continues, Government of Dubai Media Office, 26 August 2026.
- Air passenger demand slips 0.8% in August, IATA, 30 September 2026.
- International tourism holds steady with 0.4% growth in first half of 2026, UN Tourism, 17 September 2026.
- Saudi Arabia sees 122.6M tourist arrivals in 2025; spending rises to SAR 303.7B, Argaam, 20 June 2026.
- Domestic demand props up Saudi tourism headcount, EnterpriseAM, 21 September 2026.
- Egypt achieves unprecedented number of tourists in 2025: Ministry, Egypt Independent, 4 January 2026.
- Riyadh Air inaugurates Riyadh-London service, Afrviator, 10 June 2026.
- Riyadh Air brings London start-up forward and announces destinations, LoyaltyLobby, 9 June 2026.
- Etihad Rail to begin introductory phase of passenger train services on June 30, Gulf News, 23 June 2026.
- Saudi civil aviation sector in 2025: major achievements and strategic expansion, GACA, 1 February 2026.
- Emirates Group collaborates with OpenAI to accelerate AI adoption and innovation, Emirates, 21 November 2025.
- Cabinet says GEM is operating normally, Egyptian Streets, 14 December 2025.