Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 recognised six exhibitors for outstanding stand design, creativity, technology and visitor experience at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 Best Stand Awards, taking place this week at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
An independent panel of industry experts judged the Awards, recognising exhibitors that went beyond visual impact to create engaging, functional spaces that support business conversations and bring their brands and destinations to life.
The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) received the Best Stand Design Award (over 150sqm), with judges highlighting the stand’s scale and ability to accommodate a high volume of meetings and business activity while maintaining a welcoming visitor experience. The carefully considered three-tier design created distinct spaces for engagement and meetings, combining visual impact with functionality.
Rove Hotels won the Best Stand Design Award (50sqm–150sqm), with judges praising its bold, playful design and attention to detail.
The stand successfully brought the personality of the Rove Hotel product to the show floor, using distinctive design elements to differentiate its residential offering from a traditional hotel experience. Judges also highlighted the team’s energy and engagement, with quirky, television-inspired costumes adding another memorable, characterful dimension to the stand.
Agilysys secured the Best Stand Design Award (under 50sqm). Despite its relatively compact footprint, the stand caught the judges’ attention with its distinctive contemporary design and clever use of space. Its bold, unconventional appearance created a strong visual presence on the show floor while showing how thoughtful design can maximise a smaller exhibition area.
Marriott was named Best Stand for Doing Business, with judges impressed by the way the hospitality group recreated the atmosphere and functionality of its hotel lobbies and guest spaces. A carefully planned layout created a welcoming setting for meetings and conversations, showing how hospitality-led design can translate effectively into a busy exhibition environment.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi won the Best Stand Feature Award, combining immersive technology, cultural design, and Emirati craftsmanship to bring the destination to life. Judges highlighted an interactive dune buggy activation, featuring an integrated screen experience that gave visitors a taste of dune bashing in Abu Dhabi. The wider stand drew inspiration from the emirate’s world-class museums and architectural icons, while traditional crafts and artistic demonstrations showcased elements of Emirati heritage.
HBX Group, within ATM Travel Tech, received the Best Use of Technology Award for a prominent and highly visual stand that integrated technology throughout its design. Judges highlighted its effective use of space and striking suspended features, which brought together creativity, innovation and technology to create a distinctive presence on the ATM show floor.
Sharjah made a strong visual impact at Arabian Travel Market 2026 with its new “Visit Sharjah” pavilion, bringing together more than 30 government and private-sector organisations. The stand showcased the diversity of the emirate across Sharjah City, the Central Region and East Coast, highlighting its culture, heritage, nature, mountains, beaches and adventure experiences. Interactive technology, including an immersive 360-degree digital experience, helped bring the destination to life while providing a platform for hotels, tourism operators, Sharjah Airport, Air Arabia and other partners to meet with the international travel trade.
Maldives delivered one of its largest international tourism showcases of the year at ATM 2026, with Visit Maldives Corporation joined by 165 industry representatives from 74 tourism companies. Its impressive 517.5-square-metre double-decker stand provided a major hub for trade meetings while showcasing the Maldives beyond its traditional luxury resort and honeymoon market. Diving, wellness, family travel, adventure, local-island experiences, MICE and Muslim-friendly tourism were among the segments promoted, reinforcing the importance of the GCC market and the Maldives’ ambition to broaden its tourism offering.
The judging panel for the ATM 2026 Best Stand Awards comprised Danielle Azzi Sleiman, Associate Director, Dubai World Trade Centre; Dave Goodger, Managing Director EMEA, Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company; Piers Kelly, Group Operations Director, RX Global; and Sarah Duignan, Director of Client Relationships at STR.
Danielle Curtis said: “The standard of this year’s stands has been exceptional, with exhibitors thinking carefully about how their presence at ATM can create an engaging visitor experience while supporting meaningful business conversations.
“Across every category, the judges saw excellent examples of creativity, technology and thoughtful design, from immersive destination experiences to spaces specifically created to bring people together and facilitate business. Congratulations to all of our 2026 winners.”
This year’s ATM is being held under the theme “Travel 2040: Driving New Frontiers Through Innovation and Technology,” exploring how innovation, emerging technologies and new ideas are reshaping the future of travel and creating opportunities across the industry.
The immersive virtual tours featured in this article have been produced and provided by Virtual World Internet, using advanced 3D technology to capture tourism destinations, hotels, resorts, attractions, exhibition stands and other travel assets in exceptional detail. The interactive experience allows audiences anywhere in the world to virtually step inside a space, explore it at their own pace and gain a much stronger sense of the product than traditional photography alone can provide. Tourism and hospitality organisations looking to showcase their assets to a global audience can visit Virtual World Internet to find out more about having their property, destination or venue professionally filmed and transformed into an immersive virtual experience.
