Saudi Arabia has announced its approval as an official tourist destination for visitors from the People's Republic of China, effective 1 July 2024, following a series of meetings and fruitful memorandums of understanding and cooperation between the Saudi and Chinese tourism sectors.

Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Saudi Tourism Authority Ahmed Al-Khateeb said: "Designating Saudi Arabia as an accredited, official tourist destination for visitors from the People's Republic of China is an important step that crowns the joint efforts and close cooperation between the Saudi and Chinese tourism sectors. The Kingdom aims to attract more than 5 million Chinese tourists by 2030, making China the third-largest source of visitors to the Kingdom." He affirmed that all facilities and capabilities are in place to welcome tourists from China and to offer them an exceptional and inspiring tourism experience.

Facilities for Chinese Tourists

Saudi Tourism Authority CEO and board member Fahd Hamidaddin explained that a number of distinctive steps have been taken to ensure a smooth, enjoyable and safe tourism experience for Chinese visitors. These include simplifying visa procedures and reducing their costs, increasing flight capacity by more than 130 percent, incorporating the Chinese language at airports, destinations, tourist sites and the digital platforms of the "Visit Saudi" website, and making available payment systems preferred by Chinese tourists such as UnionPay. The Kingdom has also signed a number of memorandums of understanding and strategic agreements aimed at attracting Chinese tourists, with companies including Trip.com, Huawei and Tencent, among others.

Nine Weekly Flights

These statements came during Saudi Arabia's participation in the ITB exhibition recently held in Shanghai, China, where the Saudi tourism sector highlighted a number of key decisions and steps that open new avenues of cooperation for attracting Chinese tourists and improving their travel experience, from the trip-planning and destination-selection stage through to their safe return home. Air seat capacity has doubled during 2024, and Saudia has announced the launch of nine direct weekly flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to major Chinese cities. In this regard, three Chinese airlines — Air China, China Eastern and China Southern — have announced direct flights to Saudi cities, contributing to raising flight capacity by more than 130 percent.

At a Glance

  • Effective date: Saudi Arabia designated an official tourist destination for Chinese visitors from 1 July 2024.
  • Target: more than 5 million Chinese tourists by 2030, making China the Kingdom's third-largest source market.
  • Facilities: simplified, cheaper visas; over 130% more flight capacity; Chinese-language signage at airports and tourist sites; UnionPay payment access.
  • Flights: Saudia to launch 9 weekly direct flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to major Chinese cities; Air China, China Eastern and China Southern to fly direct to Saudi cities.
  • Partnerships: memorandums of understanding with Trip.com, Huawei, Tencent and others.