Tag Archives: China

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has officially selected the China Visitors Summit (CVS) to be held in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain on 28–29 August 2025. This landmark event will bring together 150 elite Chinese travel industry buyers, making it the largest B2B gathering of Chinese outbound travel professionals ever hosted outside of China. The CVS Abu Dhabi is a highly curated, by-invitation-only event. The attending Chinese buyers are carefully vetted and confirmed to be actively doing business with the UAE—specifically with travel products and services in the Abu Dhabi Emirate. Delegates include senior executives from: • Travel agencies and tour operators • Luxury agents, wholesalers and bespoke travel designers • MICE managers and corporate travel planners • OTAs and niche specialists in adventure, culture, culinary, wellness, and more Over the course of the two-day, face-to-face workshop, participating Abu Dhabi travel suppliers—including hotels, DMCs, attractions, museums, shopping malls, and transportation companies—will engage in pre-scheduled B2B appointments. Each supplier will have the ability to personally select the Chinese buyers most relevant to their product, whether focused on leisure groups, luxury FITs, or MICE and corporate segments. In addition to the business meetings, the CVS program includes local experience days in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, designed to give the Chinese delegates firsthand exposure to the products they may sell. These include hotel site inspections, cultural experiences, F&B showcases, and interactive destination briefings, allowing buyers to become more effective ambassadors for Abu Dhabi upon returning to China. This 2025 edition of CVS Abu Dhabi marks a return to the summit’s roots. Originally launched in Abu Dhabi in 2013, CVS has since expanded globally. With its initial …

Shahab Shayan – Regional Director Asia Pacific and Turkey – Dubai Economy and Tourism shared that China is a key source market for Dubai and they are ready to welcome visitors from China. In his address, he welcomed the visitors to Dubai, “during the first six months we saw China recover very well, almost 84% more than 2019. It is a great recovery of the market from China to Dubai and ever since the borders opened Dubai has been China ready, to receive the Chinese market. We conducted the biggest roadshow in China in six cities and signed over 34 plus different partnerships and many fam trips as well. We want to remind them again why Dubai should be their first choice again.”

The United Arab Emirates and China signed MoU to increase air connectivity between the two countries. The negotiations resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase air connectivity between the airports of the UAE and the airports of China. Additionally, both parties agreed to enhance cooperation and collaboration in the civil aviation sector and to explore new initiatives that would strengthen bilateral relations in the aviation sector. The United Arab Emirates, represented by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), held a round of Air Services Consultation’s with the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) in Beijing. The aim was to enhance bilateral air transport relations between the two countries and to increase air connectivity. The UAE delegation was led by His Excellency Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the GCAA. In this context, H.E. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the GCAA, highlighted the authority’s dedication to enhancing air transport services, bolstering its international presence, and improving air connectivity to benefit the UAE’s national carriers. He expressed commendation for the agreements reached during the discussions, foreseeing a substantial positive impact on the economic sectors of mutual interest. He emphasized the significance of collaboration and the exchange of expertise between the two countries in areas of aviation security, safety, air transport, aviation industry and investments in the aviation sector. He added that the first Air Connectivity Forum between the two countries, held on July 15, was instrumental in achieving positive outcomes in the negotiations. He also highlighted the necessity of holding such forums on a consistent basis to support and strengthen economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Speaking with Tourismbreakingnews.ae at ITB China, Amr Adawy-Vice President Commercial – EgyptAir shared that they will be increasing flights from Cairo to China and beyond as it is a very important market for them. Generating business from China helps the growth of tourism in Egypt as one of the most visited destinations, mainly due to their rich culture and heritage. “China is a very important market to all airlines, as it is one of the biggest outbound markets. Currently, we fly four times a week to Shanghai and we are hoping to increase it to daily flights and go a step beyond and add destinations such as Hong Kong as well. We currently operate to 4 cities in China and soon we will be adding two more cities to make it six.” He reiterated that the importance of the market is not only the main land China but beyond as there are many travellers from China and beyond who explore Egypt and they are looking at increasing the number of flights to make it one of the most lucrative, touristic destinations,

Hamad International Airport (DOH) announces the commencement of four weekly flights from Guangzhou to Doha by China Southern Airlines, further enhancing connectivity between China and Qatar. Commenced on 22 April, 2024, the route was operated by a Boeing B787-9 aircraft with a capacity of 203 seats from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) to Hamad International Airport (DOH). This new service by China Southern Airlines supplements Qatar Airways’ existing operations to seven major cities in China – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Xiamen, offering over 27,000 weekly seats to and from Doha through Hamad International Airport. This was following the codeshare announcement between Qatar Airways and China Southern Airlines in February this year. As one of China’s largest airlines, China Southern Airlines operates around 3,000 daily flights to more than 200 destinations globally. It joined Hamad International Airport as the second Chinese airline, following Xiamen Airlines, and marks the fourth airline to commence operations to the airport in 2024, after Akasa Air, Japan Airlines, and Garuda Indonesia. Commenting on the new partnership, Sujata Suri, Senior Vice President of Finance and Procurement at Hamad International Airport, said: “China is one of our strategic markets and plays a crucial role in the aviation and tourism industry. The commencement of China Southern Airlines’ flights to Hamad International Airport will bolster tradelines between both countries, cater to the anticipated growth in traffic movement and offer better connectivity for millions of travelers. This partnership will strengthen our position in becoming the preferred hub to connect China with Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.” The extensive network between China and Qatar underscores the importance of robust connectivity to facilitate travel demand, as travel recovery is expected …

NEOM kicked off the China leg of its global ‘Discover NEOM’ tour with its showcase in Beijing and Shanghai, with over 500 senior business and industry leaders in attendance. The tour began in Beijing on April 15, followed by Shanghai on April 17. Organized in partnership with CCPIT Beijing and CCPIT Shanghai, the events included a series of presentations by NEOM’s leadership team, showcasing on-the-ground progress and milestones to date, as well as details of NEOM’s various economic sectors. The events highlighted opportunities for Chinese companies to engage and invest in NEOM, with a number of companies expressing significant interest and discussing tangible next steps with NEOM leadership. The agenda also included a construction-focused forum that explored the vast number of opportunities available for Chinese construction companies. Over 100 companies participated in the forum and heard about the current onsite construction progress across NEOM and its regions. A private showcase, entitled ‘Discover NEOM: A New Future by Design’, was a highlight of the events, providing guests with an immersive experience that explored THE LINE, the 170-kilometer-long city that will be the future of urban living; Oxagon, which is redefining the traditional industrial model; Trojena, the mountain resort of NEOM, and finally, Sindalah, a luxury island destination in the Red Sea that will be open to the public later this year. Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO, NEOM, said: “We are grateful to CCPIT Beijing and CCPIT Shanghai for supporting our visit to China and for the opportunity to present NEOM’s vision. To date, NEOM has already engaged with over 15 major Chinese businesses and invested in a number of Chinese startups to support the growth and diversification of NEOM. Collaboration with China will continue …

DidaTravel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enter into a strategic partnership with Visit Oman – the National Travel Operator – to promote the country to DidaTravel’s network of 25,000+ travel trade partners in China. The MOU outlines potential areas of collaboration between DidaTravel and Visit Oman, which include DidaTravel offering Visit Oman’s varied portfolio of contracted properties, transfers, and experiences to their extensive B2B network through API integration. As a result of this agreement Visit Oman will also be able to access DidaTravel’s consolidated portfolio of high value, yet hard to reach, Chinese travel trade customers. The two companies will embark on joint marketing initiatives to increase brand awareness and drive travel demand from China to Oman. Jinyan Li, VP Global Account Management at DidaTravel commented “We are thrilled to partner with Visit Oman and leverage our B2B distribution network to introduce the beauty and cultural richness of Oman to our extensive network of travel partners in China. This collaboration holds immense potential to foster cultural exchange and strengthen ties between our nations”.

According to flight tickets issued as of 13th February, total international travel from China in Q1 2024 is predicted to experience a 31% decline compared to 2019 levels, although showing a 7-percentage point increase from Q3 2023. The picture varies by region: travel to Africa and the Middle East sees only a 5% decrease compared to 2019, while travel to Europe remains 26% below 2019 levels. The APAC region shows a 31% decline, while recovery in the Americas remains slow, with a 50% decline. During the Chinese New Year period, Chinese outbound travel lags behind 2019 levels by 32%. Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia represent the largest shares at 28% and 40% respectively. However, the Middle East emerges as the standout performer, having already recovered to 2019 levels. This recovery is particularly notable in Cairo, which shows a 7% increase, establishing itself as a burgeoning destination for Chinese travellers.

The Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB) reaffirmed its commitment to further developing the emirate’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector with the renewal of its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China MICE Advisory Group at a signing ceremony recently at Louvre Abu Dhabi. The China MICE Advisory Group, a committee of key Chinese MICE trade partners and media, was established by ADCEB in 2019 to gain insights into MICE and business travel trends unique to the dynamic Chinese market. As the first-ever dedicated advisory committee in China created in partnership with ADCEB, its formation reflects ADCEB’s proactive approach to engaging with the growing outbound MICE sector from China. The China market ranks among Abu Dhabi’s top source markets for tourism and MICE, reflecting a strong bilateral relationship. As the demand for outbound MICE in China increases, approaching levels comparable to the country’s outbound leisure market, a substantial surge in outbound Chinese MICE is expected in 2024. H.E. Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi said, “Our thriving partnerships with China and a proven track record of attracting tourists and business travellers to Abu Dhabi underscores the strength of this partnership. This renewal will enable us to continue to share knowledge and strategically plan for our tourism future, in line with our commitment to promoting and preserving the emirate’s heritage, culture and tourism assets. Our continued collaboration empowers our efforts while significantly contributing to the growth of inbound visitors from China, solidifying Abu Dhabi as a destination of choice globally.” As part of Abu Dhabi’s broader efforts to boost international MICE arrivals from China, the partnership aims to incentivise …

Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) recently launched the largest integrated travel campaign in China ‘Embark on a Journey of Discovery to Saudi’ at the Shanghai Bund Waterfront with 400 trade partners. The event was attended by Jin Lei, Deputy Director General of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, Alhasan Aldabbagh, President of APAC Markets including over 400 trade partners, media and influencers, and the Chinese public were invited to explore the rich and diverse tourism offerings of Saudi. The campaign marks the largest integrated travel campaign launched by Saudi in China, starting with a week-long Saudi Tourism Exhibition, a celebration of Saudi’s culture, heritage, and natural beauty on the Shanghai Bund waterfront, from 17 to 23 November, inviting guests to experience mystical Saudi through immersive experiences, storytelling, and live performances. So far, the exhibition has welcomed over 80,000 visitors. In addition to the consumer marketing campaign, a series of Saudi experience films have launched on national TV and all major digital China platforms such as Ctrip, Huawei, Mafengwo, and Tencent, reaching and connecting with over five hundred million Chinese citizens.  The films intend to showcase the rich experiences Chinese travelers can look forward to upon visiting Saudi and is further available on VisitSaudi.CN website and STA’s social media channel. Starting from November 17, destination experience videos were launched, enabling digital travelers to visit scenes such as a traditional Bedouin tent complete with camel caravans and stargazing; tour the historic Diriyah, Al Masmak Fortress, and the colorful Souk Al Zel; learn to create Arabian fragrances; fly over AlUla in a hot-air balloon; go on a cross-country adventure in a vintage Land Rover; and snorkel in the Red Sea. Also, how-to …