For years, Ajman was the emirate that many travellers passed through rather than travelled to. Smaller, quieter and considerably less showy than Dubai, it occupied a curious place in the UAE’s tourism story: close enough to the country’s major attractions to be convenient, yet sufficiently removed from the international spotlight to retain a character of its own. That perception is changing. At the World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony, held at One&Only One Za’abeel in Dubai on 13 September, Ajman was named Middle East’s Leading Emerging Tourism Destination 2026 — a prestigious regional accolade that places the emirate firmly among the destinations to watch.