The number of international tourists visiting the Middle East reached 86.3 million in 2023, a 22% increase from 2019, according to the World Tourism Barometer 2023 recently released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Saudi Arabia and other Middle East multi-countries saw a significant increase in inbound tourists. During the Spring Festival, the Middle East multi-country has become a popular destination for Chinese tourists. Analysis shows that the Middle East tourism market has great potential and is expected to maintain its growth momentum, driven by favorable policies in many countries in the region.

　　The number of tourists from many countries increased significantly

　　According to data released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the scale of international tourists attracted by Saudi Arabia in 2023 reached 156% of the 2019 level. Also according to data from the Central Bank of Saudi Arabia, the country's international tourism revenues exceeded SAR 100 billion (about SAR 3.75 per US dollar) in the first three quarters of 2023, an increase of more than 70 percent over the same period in 2022. Saudi Arabia's tourism industry has achieved great success and contributed to the recovery of tourism in the Middle East, the Saudi Press Agency pointed out in its report.

　　As a traditional tourism country, Egypt is uniquely endowed with tourism resources, and tourism has long constituted an important pillar of the country's economy. According to a recent report released by the Central Bank of Egypt, Egypt's tourism revenue hit a record high of $13.6 billion in the 2022/2023 fiscal year, up 26.8 percent from $10.7 billion in the previous fiscal year.

　　Similarly impressive results were reported in Qatar's annual tourism development report. 2023, Qatar continued the driving effect of the World Cup soccer tournament, receiving more than 4 million tourists throughout the year, a record high in five years.

　　Recently, Dubai International Airport announced that it received nearly 87 million passengers in 2023, a year-on-year increase of about 32%, surpassing the 2019 level. With its favorable location and international aviation hub status, Dubai, UAE, has stepped up its efforts to promote its tourism resources in recent years, and has made attracting more international overnight visitors an important goal of tourism development. Not long ago, the Dubai Economy and Tourism Authority released data showing that the number of international overnight visitors to Dubai reached 17.15 million in 2023, a year-on-year increase of nearly 20%.

　　Multiple measures to improve tourism services

　　Middle Eastern countries have taken tourism as an important hand in promoting economic growth, and have continued to introduce measures to improve services and optimize visa and other policies.

　　On February 19, the Kurdistan Autonomous Region Government of Iraq announced that it would issue e-visas on arrival to citizens of 53 countries, including China, so that citizens of the above countries can visit the region for a short period of time without having to apply for a visa in advance. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries have also actively optimized their visa policies and provided entry facilitation measures to international tourists, including Chinese tourists.

　　In terms of tourism resource development and product upgrading, many countries in the Middle East are actively promoting sports tourism, convention and exhibition tourism and other new forms and modes, constantly enriching inbound tourism options. Qatar is actively utilizing the Asian Cup soccer tournament, Doha World Horticultural Expo and other events and exhibitions to create diversified tourism products. Saad, Chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), pointed out that with diversified tourism products, 500 kilometers of pristine coastline, rich museums and other resources, Qatar is actively creating a uniquely attractive tourist destination.

　　Saudi Arabia is actively developing the new Future City, the Red Sea and other areas of tourism resources, water sports, mountain adventure, winter skiing and other projects are becoming a new growth point for Saudi tourism. Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed said the country will invest $800 billion in the tourism industry, plans to attract 100 million local and international tourists by 2030, when the tourism industry's contribution to GDP is expected to reach 10%.

　　Egypt is also increasing the development of tourism resources. A few days ago, the two towers of Saladin's Castle in Cairo were opened to the public.2023 In September, the Egyptian government established an overall strategic committee aimed at revitalizing and stimulating tourism development. The committee meets regularly to find solutions to specific problems facing the promotion of tourism.

Increased efforts to attract Chinese tourists

　　During the Spring Festival, Middle Eastern countries have become the travel choice of many Chinese tourists. Data from a number of travel platforms show that orders from Chinese tourists traveling to Saudi Arabia increased by more than 800% compared to the same period in 2019; destinations such as the UAE and Morocco continued to rise in popularity.

　　With the gradual recovery of China's routes to the Middle East to the level of 2019, and the increasing number of new routes, the number of people traveling between the two sides during the Spring Festival has increased significantly. On the eve of the Spring Festival, Hainan Airlines' flight from Abu Dhabi, UAE, to Haikou, China, was officially launched, becoming the carrier's first direct route to the Middle East. During the Spring Festival, Sichuan Airlines and China Southern Airlines increased their capacity investment, and the capacity of Sichuan Airlines' Dubai route increased by 200% year-on-year, with the passenger rate of China-Arab bilateral routes approaching 90%. Xiamen Airlines operated nine weekly flights between China and Qatar, which were almost full during the Spring Festival. In order to facilitate the entry of Chinese tourists to Qatar, Xiamen Airlines also cooperated with the Qatar branch of Vodafone Telecom to issue free phone cards for Chinese travelers.

　　Major tourist destinations in the Middle East have stepped up their promotional efforts and made full use of festive tourism articles. Burj Khalifa Park in downtown Dubai held a Chinese New Year parade and temple fair for four consecutive days, from ancient non-heritage displays to dynamic robotic performances, the lively and peaceful Chinese New Year activities attracted tourists from all over the world to participate. The Ferrari Theme Park in Abu Dhabi held a Chinese New Year temple fair, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai lit up with a light show, and the Sanya Hotel hosted a "Flying Dragon in the Sky" drone show, as all parts of the UAE celebrated the Lunar New Year in various ways to welcome Chinese tourists. Prince Maktoum, Director General of the Dubai Foreign Affairs Office, said that bilateral relations between the UAE and China have continued to develop in depth in many fields, and the two countries have continued to tighten the ties of cultural exchanges, creating more opportunities for political, economic and trade cooperation.

　　During the Spring Festival, the Chinese Cultural Center in Cairo and the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Bureau jointly organized the "Welcome Chinese Tourists to Egypt for the Chinese New Year" event at Cairo International Airport. The Pyramids were illuminated, and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, together with local travel agencies, organized activities to celebrate the Spring Festival. Egyptian Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Shalabi said that Egyptian tourist attractions are gradually adding Chinese guide services, and in the future will be planned to train more Chinese guides to further improve the quality of tourism services, to provide Chinese tourists with a better travel experience.