“Journey [to Egypt] “My impression of Arab countries has changed dramatically. Before, I felt strange because of my stereotypes about Arab countries. But now I feel we are just different, not better or worse,” he said.
Ian is just one of many Chinese travelers currently flocking to the Middle East and North Africa, part of a tourism boom to the region that has begun in the post-pandemic era, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Egypt topping the list of destinations, with Qatar, Morocco and Iran also close behind.
Data showed bookings to top Middle Eastern destinations increased by triple digits in the first three months of this year compared to last year, according to Trip.com Group, China's largest online travel agency.
A total of 1.2 million Chinese tourists visited the country last year, the UAE's tourism department said in June, adding that numbers are “expected to grow significantly this year”.
Global consulting firm Oxford Economics also predicts that the recovery of Chinese outbound travel will be driven by destinations such as the Middle East. The firm expects overall travel volume to return to pre-pandemic levels next year. According to analysts and industry players, two factors that make the Middle East attractive to Chinese tourists are affordable airfares and easy visa requirements. They also predict that given the close ties between China and Middle Eastern countries, the region is likely to overtake many of its competitors in attracting Chinese tourists.
Like Ian, Kyle was initially attracted to the Middle East because of the lower costs compared to European destinations.
“Europe and America are too far away and too expensive, while going to Japan, Korea and Thailand doesn't feel like a long-distance trip, so I chose Dubai,” he said.
According to Kyle, a round-trip airfare between Shanghai and Dubai during Golden Week cost just 3,700 yuan (US$510), about a quarter of the price of a round-trip ticket to Paris.
02:27
China expands visa-free travel to six new countries
China expands visa-free travel to six new countries
When travel restrictions were lifted after the pandemic, flights between China and the Middle East quickly resumed, keeping airfares down. According to Calnoc, a Chinese civil aviation data platform, the number of weekly flights has now exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have doubled the number of flights to China from 2019 levels, and Saudi Arabia and Qatar have indicated their intention to further increase the number of direct flights to China soon.
Zhou Tao, head of hotels and hospitality for Greater China at JLL, said the recent travel boom was driven by closer connections forged by the Belt and Road Initiative.
“As cooperation between China and the Middle East deepens under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the number of air flights between China and the Middle East is increasing and growing rapidly,” he said.
Currently, most destinations in the Middle East and North Africa offer visa-free travel or entry visas to Chinese nationals, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Morocco, Egypt, Iran and Tunisia.
That convenience is crucial for tourists like Kyle, who works at a Chinese state-owned bank and prefers destinations with less paperwork and screening.
“Because of bank rules, I can only leave China twice a year, so I would choose a country that allows visa-free travel because it would be less of a problem,” he said. Many employees of the Chinese government and state-owned enterprises have their overseas travels closely monitored by the Beijing government. These restrictive policies are unprecedented for public sector employees. Relations between China and the West are not at their best. The current state of relations may be the reason why some people want to visit the Middle East instead of the West. Professor Fan Hong-Hong of the Institute of Middle East Studies at Shanghai International Studies University said China's tense relations with the West may also be one of the reasons for the growing interest in the Middle East among Chinese tourists.
“Relations between China and the West are not at the best time. The current state of relations may be the reason why some people want to visit the Middle East instead of Western countries,” he said.
China has warned that traveling to the United States, Canada and Britain is dangerous after those countries introduced travel advisories for China as they step up efforts to combat espionage.
Meanwhile, China and Middle Eastern countries are proactively promoting people-to-people exchanges both in the public and private sectors.
For example, the Arabian Travel Market trade fair held in Dubai last month saw double the number of Chinese exhibitors and travel professionals compared to 2019, including Chinese private travel agencies and local government tourism directors.
Saudi Arabia's Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb told the Post that major Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, which only opened its ban on Chinese tourists in 2019, see China as an important source of foreign tourists and that the potential for growth is huge.
Iran did not offer visa-free privileges to Chinese tourists until 2019. After China reopened its borders in the second half of 2022, senior officials from the two countries held about 10 meetings focusing on people-to-people exchanges and tourism policy exchanges, according to data collected by The Post.
But while the Middle East is winning the race to attract Chinese tourists post-pandemic, Western countries are getting back in the mix.
According to Trip.com Group, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom have seen a three-fold increase in outbound bookings by Chinese tourists, while European countries such as Spain, Austria, Italy and Georgia have also seen bookings double due to an increase in flight frequencies.
But JLL's Zhou predicts that Chinese tourism to the Middle East will continue to grow as long as the two countries continue to cooperate.
“Cooperation and exchanges between China and Middle Eastern countries are deepening, which means greater convenience and more choices for Chinese tourists, and will lead to further development and prosperity of the tourism industry in the Middle East region,” he said.
“So even if airfares to the West fall, the benefits for Chinese tourists travelling to the Middle East will continue.”
Many Chinese tourists looking to travel abroad without spending too much money or going through the hassle of visa procedures are choosing Middle Eastern cities such as Dubai, pictured, in the United Arab Emirates. Photo: Reuters
But he noted that conflicts in the region, from Israel to Iran, could stifle the travel boom.
Fan, from Shanghai International Studies University, said that as more Chinese become attracted to exploring culturally vibrant and innovative travel destinations, the “mysterious yet fascinating” Middle East will likely rise to the list.
“For Chinese people, if they have the financial means to travel abroad, they may have been to the United States or Europe multiple times, so the Middle East is clearly their next most attractive destination,” he said.
This is also true for 27-year-old Eva Liang, who thinks the Middle East is the most attractive destination in the world.
The consultant, originally from Shanghai, has been living and working in London for two years and has visited Iran, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria since the end of Covid-19.
“When I first traveled to Iran, I was immediately captivated by its culture and history, and got to see the country up close and without filters. [This experience] “My interest has been piqued and I would like to visit the region again and explore different places, including the war zone,” Liang said.
She travelled to almost every Western country while living in London, but said her trips to the Middle East gave her “a way of looking at the world objectively”.
“Being in the Middle East allows me to see the region relatively objectively and not be influenced by media from around the world,” she said.
