Gulf Events Market Splits. Regional Attendees Push On, Western Delegates Pull Back
Photo Credit: Flickr / UNIS Vienna
Skift Take
The Gulf MICE industry says demand is deferred, not lost. But no one will know if it's true until after the summer when the region asks delegates to meet in 104°F heat.
When 40,000 visitors gathered in Saudi Arabia’s Madinah last week for the Umrah and Ziyarah Forum — a religious tourism conference — it wasn't the picture of a region in paralysis. But for every event that goes ahead, another has vanished from the calendar.
As of April 7, 269 events across the Gulf have been rescheduled since the Iran war began on February 28, with the UAE absorbing the heaviest blow: 17 cancelled, and 50 postponed, according to Northbourne Advisory.
The economic blow is yet to be tallied, but last year the UAE Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions market was valued at around $6 billion, while the Saudi Arabian MICE market was worth $3.2 billion.
Cancellations, PostponementsKey events that have been cancelled include Dubai events like the JP Morgan Mena Global Opportunities Summit in March, the UITP Summit 2026 in April and the Ton Gateway crypto conference, initially slated for May. The common denominator betwee
