Chinese Delegation Returns to Arabian Travel Market for Third Consecutive Year as “Inbound Tourism to China” Gains Popularity in Arab Countries
“There are eight of us in my family. Can we organize a private tour group to Chongqing?” Muhammad, from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, enthusiastically spoke with a tourism ambassador from Chongqing, China. Muhammad has previously traveled to cities including Beijing and Shanghai, and his trips to China left him with fond memories. “I want to visit China again,” he said. From September 14 to 17, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 was held at Dubai World Trade Centre, where the China delegation, participating for the third consecutive year, drew considerable attention at the event. The China pavilion, themed “Nihao! China,” was among the largest national pavilions from Asia. Featuring an elegant blue-green visual palette and a classical Chinese landscape-inspired design, the pavilion integrated Eastern aesthetics with modern exhibition technologies, attracting large numbers of local and international visitors and highlighting the appeal of inbound tourism to China. Shahbaz, a businessman from Pakistan, told the reporter that his company maintains close trade ties with China, but that his business trips to the country have always been focused on meetings and negotiations. The exhibition, he said, gave him an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of China and Chinese culture. According to the latest data from National Immigration Administration of the People’s Republic of China, the number of foreign nationals entering China increased 20.4% year on year in the first half of this year, while exports of travel services grew 31.1%, the fastest growth among the top five service export sectors. Liu Yang, Director of the China Cultural Center in the UAE, said the center has participated in the event for three consecutive years and has facilitated business matchmaking and discussions between more than 60 Chinese tourism-related companies and regional businesses, promoting China’s tourism resources, new inbound tourism products, and policies aimed at making travel to China more convenient. According to statistics, more than 150,000 nationals of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries entered China in 2025, an increase of 100.78% from 2024. The numbers of Saudi Arabian and Emirati nationals entering China rose by 110% and 113%, respectively. Shahab Shayan, Regional Director, Asia-Pacific Region, International Operations at the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), under the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), recently visited cities including Shanghai, Changsha and Shenzhen. His trip to China gave him an opportunity to experience the development of China’s tourism market firsthand while gaining a better understanding of how Chinese consumers, companies and relevant institutions view Dubai. He said that since 2016, Dubai has continued to advance its “Welcome China” strategy by offering visa-free entry policies, localized services and tailored market strategies, providing tourism products and services better suited to the needs of Chinese visitors. Dubai is now further strengthening cooperation with leading Chinese companies in tourism, internet and other sectors, maintaining communication with Chinese platform companies and exploring possibilities for broader cooperation between the tourism industries of China and Arab countries. “China has leading cities in artificial intelligence such as Shenzhen, as well as historic cultural cities and leisure destinations such as Xi’an and Chengdu. China is rich in tourism resources, and services aimed at facilitating inbound travel continue to improve. We welcome people from Arab countries to visit and experience China,” said Ou Boqian, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Dubai. Source: People’s Daily