The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) launched an integrated travel campaign in China on November 17, featuring a week-long exhibition and films streaming on TV and digital platforms. The initiative has already reached over 500 million people in China with a 277% increase in bookings to Saudi, according to a press release.
The campaign began with a week-long Saudi Tourism Exhibition at the Shanghai Bund Waterfront, which gathered government, industry, and media representatives.
The event, which has seen over 80,000 visitors so far, showcases the natural and historical attractions of Saudi Arabia through cultural shows and entertainment.
STA has also introduced a series of Saudi experience films streaming on national TV and major digital platforms in China. In addition, the government office is disseminating how-to tutorials that aim to support Chinese tourists unfamiliar with the region in planning their trip.
“As one of the largest and fastest-growing sources of outbound tourism in the world, China is a key strategic market for Saudi Arabia,” said Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority.
“That’s why we are absolutely thrilled to be launching our largest ever integrated travel campaign in the country – showcasing the diverse and unique wonders of the Kingdom to our Chinese friends.”
Saudi Arabia has welcomed over 100,000 Chinese visitors in 2023 and STA hopes to welcome five million travelers annually by 2030, Hamidaddin also said.
“This campaign further solidifies our growing partnership with China, with Saudi recently granted Approved Destination Status and ongoing work to streamline our visa services including our new e-visa and visas on arrival – as well as work to expand air connectivity between our two countries,” said Alhasan Aldabbagh, president of APAC Markets at the Saudi Tourism Authority.
“We are also continuing to work with our key leading trade partners to increase our existing offer of over160 bespoke products to the Chinese market and have integrated Chinese payment solutions like Union Pay and AliPay+ to facilitate seamless payment for Chinese travelers.”
