Saudi Tourism Festival to offer Chinese visitors multiple immersive experiences at Beijing's Tiantan Park from October 18 to 26

Saudi Tourism Authority Launches WeChat Mini Program to Prepare for Chinese Tourists

BEIJING, Oct. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- H.E. Ahmed Al-Khatib, Saudi Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority (SATA), launched the Saudi Tourism Festival, a large-scale immersive consumer event, at the iconic Beijing Tiantan Park yesterday.

H.E. Ahmed Al-Khatib, Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority (SATA), Fahd Hamiduddin, Chief Executive Officer of SATA, and other senior guests from major tourism companies attended the opening ceremony.

"The grand launch of the "Saudi Tourism Festival" provides Chinese tourists with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Saudi Arabia's rich and colorful culture and traditions. The festival, which will run from October 18th to 26th, will allow visitors to experience the legendary charm of Saudi Arabia, the heart of Arabia, in an immersive way through interactive cultural booths, live performances and exclusive travel offers for winter holiday products.

At the festival, a series of well-designed interactive booths allow visitors to feel as if they are immersed in the fascinating landscapes of different regions of Saudi Arabia, including destinations such as Dera'iyyah, El Ola and Baha'i, with immersive and realistic backdrops that allow visitors to leave their precious photographs in front of these iconic attractions. In addition, visitors will be able to watch Sadu, a traditional Saudi weaving technique, listen to traditional music played by unique Saudi musical instruments, and enjoy the rhythmic Ardah, a traditional Saudi dance performance, to immerse themselves in Saudi Arabia's fascinating cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia.

Performers from Saudi Arabia give a spectacular performance

H.E. Ahmed Al-Khatib, Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority (SATA), said: "It is a great honor for me to be here in Beijing to kick off the 'Saudi Tourism Festival' and present Saudi Arabia's quality tourism resources and rich cultural heritage to the Chinese people. We have always been committed to enhancing Saudi Arabia's attractiveness to Chinese tourists. To this end, we are working closely with Chinese companies to create quality travel experiences tailored to Chinese tourists and to showcase Saudi Arabia's charm as one of the top vacation destinations."

Fahd Hamiduddin, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of the Saudi Tourism Authority, said, "I am very pleased to be able to bring the flavor of our homeland to Beijing through the 'Saudi Tourism Festival'. The original purpose of this event is to enable Chinese tourists to experience the unique charm of Saudi Arabia, the heart of Arabia. China is one of our main sources of inbound tourists, with the total number of Chinese tourists traveling to Saudi Arabia growing by more than 40% between 2023 and 2024. Saudi Arabia has long been known for 'Hafawa' - the warm and generous Saudi hospitality. Today, we are making Saudi Arabia even more 'China-friendly' through safe, sustainable, and diverse immersive Arab cultural experiences, and establishing Saudi Arabia as a premier vacation destination for Chinese travelers."

The Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority (STA) will showcase Saudi destinations and attractions to Chinese tourists through the Saudi Tourism Festival, where visitors can learn more about unique attractions and events, including Dera'iyyah, El Ola, the Red Sea Project, Jeddah, Neom, Abha, the MDLBEAST festival, and the ongoing annual Riyadh Carnival Season.

Saudi Arabia is ready to welcome Chinese tourists

Saudi Arabia is fully prepared to welcome Chinese tourists by deepening exchanges and communications, creating customized tourism products and establishing strategic partnerships.

H.E. Ahmed Al-Khatib, Saudi Minister of Tourism, witnessed an important milestone in cultural exchanges between China and Saudi Arabia in Beijing, namely the launch of the official WeChat app of the Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority (SATA). This is one of several initiatives to improve the Saudi tourism ecosystem, aiming to make Saudi Arabia more responsive to the needs of Chinese tourists and provide a more convenient experience.

The WeChat app provides Chinese tourists with a diverse range of tailor-made travel assistance service features, including Mandarin tour guide services, introduction and booking of Saudi Arabia's tourism products, information on important local festivals and performances in Saudi Arabia, and introduction to Saudi Arabia's attractions. In addition, Saudi Arabia has also cooperated with UnionPay to launch a convenient cross-border online payment solution, ensuring that Chinese tourists can easily make online payments at major tourist attractions, hotels and restaurants in Saudi Arabia and enjoy a hassle-free travel experience.

Over the past year, the number of Chinese tourists received by Saudi Arabia has shown remarkable growth, and China has become one of the most important source markets for Saudi Arabia. The original target of attracting 100 million tourists by 2030 has been reached seven years ahead of schedule, as a key part of Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" blueprint. Now, Saudi Arabia has redefined its strategy to receive 150 million tourists by 2030. To further boost growth, Saudi Arabia has optimized its visa process by launching a convenient e-visa system. The system is easy to operate, and applicants only need to operate online for three minutes to complete the application and issue the visa. At the same time, Saudi Arabia also provides visa-on-arrival and free 96-hour transit visa policy for Saudi Airlines connecting flights, which greatly enhances the flexibility and convenience for tourists to enter Saudi Arabia.

For Chinese tourists, traveling to Saudi Arabia has become increasingly convenient. Saudi Airlines, Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines now offer direct flights to Jeddah or Riyadh from four major Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Not only that, from October 28, 2024, Cathay Pacific will also add a new direct flight from Hong Kong to Riyadh. Overall, between 2023 and 2024, seat capacity on flights between China and Saudi Arabia has grown by a massive 52%, providing a total of more than 243,000 seats, further widening the air bridge between the two countries.