China Outbound Tourism Takes off in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia welcomed more than 140,000 Chinese travelers in 2024.

Saudi Arabia’s broader Vision 2030, aiming to transform the Kingdom into a global tourism hotspot, enriched by cultural exchange and enhanced accessibility for travelers from everywhere in the world and specially from China.

Chinese tourists to Saudi Arabia:

1. Surge in Sightseers: Chinese tourist arrivals are skyrocketing, with plans to welcome 5 million annually by 2030, driven by extensive promotional efforts that have already seen bookings jump 277%.
2. Sea-bound Adventures: Saudi Arabia is courting Chinese fly-cruise tourists, aiming to become a top pick for luxury sea excursions.
3. Air Bridge Expansion: New direct flights now link major Chinese cities directly to Riyadh and Jeddah, streamlining the journey to the heart of Saudi Arabia.
4. Tailored Treks: From desert escapades to historical haunts, Saudi Arabia crafts exclusive tours that resonate with Chinese cultural and adventurous tastes.
5. Digital Dynamics: Through active engagement on popular Chinese social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo, Saudi Arabia connects with millions of potential travelers.
6. Visa Velocity: Chinese tourists now enjoy streamlined visa services, including a three-minute e-visa and a generous 96-hour stopover visa with hotel benefits.
7. Opulence and Originality: Saudi Arabia is quickly becoming a playground for affluent Chinese travelers with its burgeoning luxury resorts and unique travel experiences.
8. Celebrity Charm: Leveraging Chinese celebrities in marketing campaigns, Saudi Arabia captures the imagination and interest of a vast audience back in China.
9. Cultural Connections: As Saudi Arabia deepens its cultural offerings, it’s not just about seeing—it’s about experiencing, learning, and engaging.
10. Economic Echoes: The influx of high-spending Chinese tourists is set to make a significant economic impact, marking a golden era for Saudi tourism.

The Chinese want to see oriental landscapes!

 

 

Saudi Arabia opens its borders to Chinese tourists!

The country is occupied by 33 million inhabitants which makes it the largest in the Arabian Peninsula and for that reason the country has an area of 2,149,690 km2. Arabia is a Muslim country. It is home to two of the most important places of religious worship :

•  Great Mosque of Mecca
•  Al-Masjid an-Nabawi

These places of worship are also the places of pilgrimage arrivals. The most believing and wealthy Muslims from all over the world go there. It is a tradition to make this pilgrimage at least once in one’s life.

This is why Saudi Arabia has never really stopped receiving visitors. Every year believers from all over the world come to the place that is sacred to them.

 

Saudi Arabia a great destination for Chinese tourists

China has a large Muslim population, it is estimated that about 2% of the population is Muslim. In such a large country, this represents 21,667,000 Muslims in total. All these people dream of going to Saudi Arabia, precisely to visit their sacred land or simply to immerse themselves in the culture of this country.

In fact, 22% of the inbound tourism in Saudi Arabia comes from China.

China is the fourth most popular tourist destination in Saudi Arabia. However, an important detail to remember is that it is young people who are more inclined to travel there. Indeed, 36% of Chinese tourists in Saudi Arabia are between 18 and 34 years old.

Tourism Director Ahmed Al Khateeb, conveyed the message that Saudi Arabia was ready to open its doors to the world in 2020.
He even added, “you won’t find a warmer welcome anywhere in the world.”

An opportunity to be grasped

Young Chinese people are traveling more and more to Saudi Arabia, what a great opportunity for a company. Whether you are a hotel, a tourist agency or anything else, you have to act!

Several questions need to be raised :

– How can you be seen by your potential customers?
– How to attract them?

You must have the answer to this question in order to begin to consider turning to the Chinese market.

The tourism sector is very specific. This sector more than any other is becoming more and more “connected”. Companies in the market are starting to consider a whole new digital marketing strategy, which is becoming necessary nowadays.

Tourism digital trends 2024

How can you be seen by your potential Chinese customers?

The tourism sector is full of competitors. The first thing you have to make sure you stand out from them. Standing out from the crowd is often a difficult step for businesses. It is even more complex when you are not well informed about the tools you have at your disposal.

China has its own tools. All companies need to tame them in order to gain access to the Chinese public.

Baidu

As the document shows, Baidu is the most widely used search engine in China. This tool can make your company visible by 70 000 000 people per day!
So ready to know everything about Baidu?

Baidu is a search engine built on the basis of an algorithm that has certain criteria.
Different SEO techniques will help you to optimize the ranking of your website in search results.

How to do SEO Baidu?

• For starters, Baidu better references sites that are hosted on Chinese territory. A license is also to be obtained. The Internet Content Publishing (ICP) is a license that assures the value of your content, otherwise, Baidu will not consider you a quality site.
• Meta-data is an essential factor on Baidu. Be careful when filling in your meta description for example. 200 words maximum. For meta keywords, it’s 100 maximum. But you already know that you are already doing it for google, or are you? 😉
• Titles and subtitles should be written carefully as these are the ones that will be analyzed by Baidu. Make sure they are clear and refer to the general idea with keywords.
• Your URL should also be changed if possible. It should be short so that it is only the keywords referring to your website.
• Your URL should also be changed if possible. It should be short so that it is only the keywords referring to your website.

In order to deepen your learning of the tool, a complete article is at your disposal here.

 

How to effectively attract Chinese travelers?

Once that you master Baidu, you will have to hold your attention. To do this, it is important to know your audience.
The Chinese, especially, in this case, the younger ones attach a central place to the content, and more particularly to the visual of a site.

The first thing to know about the content of your Chinese website is that it must be written in Chinese. It may seem trivial but no Chinese will make the effort to translate your web page…even if it is in English!

On the other hand, storytelling is an essential strategy to be used especially in the tourism sector. The Chinese population loves storytelling. They allow you to gain transparency and thus gain their trust.

Do you want your storytelling to have even more impact? 🙂 
They need to be told by people whose opinion is followed by a large number of people.

Little Red Book, the instagram of China

To effectively leverage Little Red Book (XiaoHongShu) for tourism promotion in China, here are some punchy and practical strategies:

1. Photo is King: Create visually appealing posts that blend stunning photography with useful travel tips. Whether it’s showcasing hidden gems or must-visit eateries, high-quality content engages users and inspires travel.

2. Engage with stories: Build trust through genuine, transparent posts. Share real experiences, respond to comments, and engage in discussions to foster a community around your brand.

3. partner: Partner with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) on XiaoHongShu to tap into their followers. These influencers can amplify your message through their trusted voices, driving interest and conversions.

4. Challenges: Participate in trending travel #hashtags or create unique travel challenges to gain visibility. 

5. Exclusivity: Offer exclusive deals or insider information only available through your XiaoHongShu posts. 

6. Storytelling: Connect emotionally with users by telling compelling stories about destinations. Use narratives to convey the culture, history, and atmosphere of places, making them irresistible to potential travelers.

By implementing these strategies, tourism professionals can effectively use XiaoHongShu to engage with a vast audience in China, influencing travel decisions and enhancing their brand’s visibility in this competitive market.

 

KOL

Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) are the people you need to contact in order to increase the value of your brand image.

The goal of the game is to get them to take advantage of your services so that they can talk about it.
Indeed storytelling will have a much greater impact if it is done by a KOL. These people are followed by many people they call their “community”. This gives them an undeniable power of influence.

If you want more details about how to feed your website, check out this post.

Do not hesitate to contact us.  Gentlemen Marketing Agency is specialized in digital marketing. We could see together which new strategy you need to consider. It will be a pleasure to accompany you in your conquest of the tourism market in China.