According to industry professionals presenting at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026, steps to guarantee accessible, seamless, visa-free experiences could become the Asia-GCC corridor the next major growth engine for the Middle East’s travel industry.
Sienna Parulis-Cook, Director of Marketing and Communications at Dragon Trail International, moderated the session. Shahab Abdollah Shayan, Regional Director Asia Pacific, Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism; Aaron Goldring, Senior Economist, Oxford Economics; Frederic Brohez, Chief Operating Officer, Pulse Hotels & Resorts; and Waad Melliti, Senior Business Manager, World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF).
Goldring used data from Oxford Economics to set the scene for the panel discussion, stating: “There were record numbers in 2025 for travel into the GCC from Asia-Pacific – nearly 165 million overnight guests.” In just six years, that has increased by more than 160%, and during that time, there was a pandemic. Important supply markets like India, which is already a sizable market and crucial to the UAE, have seen substantial expansion. During that time, China also contributed 10% of the GCC’s growth.
“One of the first things you need to consider when you want to double down on a market is accessibility, so we looked at how we could remove the barrier of visas for Chinese travellers coming into Dubai and the UAE,” Shayan said in reference to Dubai’s efforts to promote and ease inbound travel from China. We were able to accomplish it in 2016.
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