Saudi Arabia wants Chinese travellers, and it is not being shy about it. The Kingdom has opened the front door, laid out the welcome mat, and made sure the payment systems speak the right digital language. In travel terms, that is not a hint. It is a campaign with a boarding pass attached.
New research from Dragon Trail International, the research partner of WTM Spotlight Riyadh, shows that Saudi Arabia is gaining ground with Chinese outbound travellers across the Middle East and North Africa. The findings come from Dragon Trail’s Chinese Tourism to the Middle East and North Africa 2025 White Paper. They will help guide debate at the first WTM Spotlight Riyadh, which runs from 8 to 10 September 2026 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Centre.
Danielle Curtis, Regional Portfolio Director, UAE RX
For the travel trade, this matters. China is not just another source market. It is a market with scale, spend and growing taste for fresh places. When China moves, airlines notice. Hotels notice. Tour operators notice. Even the most relaxed destination marketer starts checking whether the Mandarin copy has been proofread.
Saudi Arabia’s push took a major step forward when the Kingdom gained Approved Destination Status from China, effective from 1 July 2024. That status allows Chinese group tours to be officially marketed and operated in Saudi Arabia. It gives the Kingdom a clearer route into one of the world’s most valuable outbound markets.
The timing is deliberate. Saudi Arabia’s National Tourism Strategy is targeting 150 million visits by 2030. Tourism is now a core part of the country’s plan to grow beyond oil. The Kingdom has also been working hard to become more “China-ready”. That includes Mandarin airport signs, better payment systems, tailored tourism products and more direct flights. In plain English, Saudi Arabia is not waiting for demand. It is building the runway for it.
WTM says the first Riyadh event is expected to attract more than 300 exhibitors, more than 7,000 regional and international attendees, and 150 international hosted buyers. That gives the show real trade weight. This is not a polite new event with a few banners and a lonely coffee urn. It is being built as a serious market for a serious tourism push.
Sienna Parulis Cook- Director Marketing and Communications Dragon Trail International
The aviation story is just as strong. WTM says flights between Greater China and Saudi Arabia rose 91 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024. Saudia, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Air China are now part of a wider network. Routes link Riyadh with Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou, with further services between Beijing and Dammam and between Haikou and Jeddah.
That matters because access sells holidays. A destination can have all the desert romance, ancient ruins and shiny hotels it likes, but travellers still need a simple way to get there. More flights mean more choice, sharper trade interest and stronger confidence for tour planners.
Chinese travellers are also changing. Dragon Trail’s research points to a growing demand for independent travel, culture-rich trips, luxury hotels, family holidays, and seamless digital services. The old tick-the-box tour is giving way to journeys with more freedom, more texture and more bragging rights. Saudi Arabia, with its heritage sites, Red Sea projects, desert landscapes, religious tourism and fast-growing cities, offers plenty to put in the shop window.
Danielle Curtis, Regional Portfolio Director – UAE, RX, said China was “one of the most influential outbound tourism markets globally”. She said WTM Spotlight Riyadh would help the global travel industry better understand the opportunity, strengthen partnerships and explore how travel brands can engage with Saudi Arabia’s inbound growth and the wider Chinese outbound market.
That is the heart of the story. This is not only about visitor numbers. It is about matching product to taste. Chinese guests want ease, safety, good service, strong hotels, smooth digital tools and stories worth telling when they get home. Saudi Arabia is trying to meet that list with the speed of a destination that knows the clock is ticking towards 2030.
Sienna Parulis-Cook, Director of Marketing and Communications at Dragon Trail International, described MENA as “one of the most exciting growth areas” for Chinese outbound tourism. She noted Saudi Arabia’s growing role as Chinese travellers seek stronger cultural experiences, better hospitality infrastructure and easier access.
The money trails back up the mood. The ATM Travel Trends Report 2025, developed by Arabian Travel Market with Tourism Economics, forecasts total tourism spend in the Middle East to be 50 per cent higher by 2030 than in 2024. It expects the figure to reach nearly US$350 billion. The same report identifies China as a key source market, with Chinese leisure spend in the region tipped to rise by around 130 per cent by 2030.
For Saudi Arabia, the prize may flow both ways. Stronger ties with China could bring more Chinese visitors into the Kingdom. They could also encourage high-yield Saudi travellers to look east for culture, shopping, food and heritage, instead of defaulting to the usual Western favourites.
WTM Spotlight Riyadh arrives at a useful moment. Saudi Arabia is turning ambition into product, air access into business, and curiosity into bookings. China brings scale, spending power and a traveller who is keen to find places that feel new, not merely familiar.
In a region where every country is polishing its tourism pitch, Saudi Arabia is making a loud and well-funded claim. The dragon is awake. The desert is ready. And the travel trade, never known to ignore a market with lift, spend and momentum, should have its business cards close at hand.
Travel professionals can register their interest in attending WTM Spotlight Riyadh here: Register for WTM Spotlight Riyadh.
By: May Marclay – © 2026.
Read Time: 4 minutes.
Author Bio:
May Marclay’s career hasn’t followed a straight line, and she’s better for it. She began in real estate, then moved into hospitality, finding her rhythm with Centara in the Maldives. There, she worked the Asian markets the old-fashioned way: building trust, closing deals, and turning conversations into lasting business.
The UAE sharpened its focus. At IHG, supporting an Area General Manager, she saw the machinery of a major travel hub from the inside, no gloss, just how things actually get done.
Now, with her sights set on healthcare, May brings a broader lens than most. She speaks three languages, reads widely, travels with intent, and writes with the calm assurance of someone who understands both the detail and the bigger picture without needing to say so too loudly.
