January 19, 2026

With visa facilitation, an increase in direct flight routes, and a deeper understanding of China, more and more tourists from Gulf countries are choosing China as a travel destination. According to statistics and information gathered from relevant authorities in China and Gulf countries, airlines, visa centers, and local ground service agencies, throughout 2025, the number of entries into China by citizens of the six Gulf countries exceeded 150,000, representing an increase of 100.78% compared with 2024. Among them, the number of entries by Saudi and UAE nationals increased by 110% and 113% respectively, and the volume of visa applications by foreign residents of non-Gulf nationalities in the local area also rose significantly. Starting from June 9, 2025, China achieved full visa-free coverage for the six Gulf countries. Taking this opportunity, the Chinese side organized the “Nihao!China” UAE online influencer group to travel to China and livestream “In-depth Travel in China,” showcasing to Arab fans China’s modern cities, classical gardens, beautiful countryside, and history and culture, and generating more than 30 million views on social media platforms at home and abroad. Online influencers from neighboring countries followed suit, creating spontaneous, organic dissemination by livestreaming their trips to China and publishing travel guides to China. Tourists from Gulf countries followed “influencer routes” and “celebrity routes” to travel in China, triggering a wave of “China fever” in outbound tourism. Frequent, efficient, and in-depth business matchmaking and negotiations among tourism enterprises have generated more inbound China tourism products for Gulf countries. In 2025, the Chinese side organized 26 Chinese enterprises to participate in the 2025 Arabian Travel Market, held the 2025 China–Gulf Arab Countries Tourism Exchange Event, and invited travel operators from Gulf countries to travel to Hainan to attend the China International Travel Mart and take part in familiarization trips, expanding the Gulf market for inbound tourism to China. In 2026, the second China–Arab States Summit will be held in China. As practical cooperation between China and Arab countries in various fields continues to deepen, inbound tourism to China from Gulf countries is expected to grow at an even faster pace and become an important growth driver for inbound tourism to China.