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In April 2026, the China Cultural Center in the UAE held working consultation meetings respectively with Emirates Airline, Al Rais Travel Group in the UAE, and the Kanoo Group in the UAE, to jointly plan the 2026 joint promotion of inbound tourism to China. The Center expressed its appreciation to its UAE partners for carrying out joint promotions for two consecutive years in 2024 and 2025 targeting the Gulf Arab countries, including the UAE. These efforts included organizing online influencers to visit China, co-hosting the China-Gulf Tourism Fair, conducting joint promotions on online platforms, inviting travel trade professionals to visit China for familiarization trips, and participating in the China International Travel Mart. In 2025, the number of citizens from the six Gulf countries entering China exceeded 150,000, an increase of 100.78% compared with 2024. Among them, the numbers of Saudi and UAE nationals entering China increased by 110% and 113% respectively. The promotion of inbound tourism to China in the Gulf countries has achieved phased results. Rajeev, Senior Sales Manager of Emirates Airline, said that the China Cultural Center in the UAE has been the government tourism promotion institution that has worked most closely with Emirates Airline in recent years, with remarkable results. Emirates Airline is willing to further deepen practical cooperation with the Center, jointly organize more innovative and content-rich joint promotions and familiarization trips, and encourage more travelers from the Gulf and the UAE to visit China. Mahmoud, Senior General Manager of Business at the Kanoo Group in the UAE, said that with the support of the China Cultural Center in the UAE, the Kanoo Group has not only made progress in its inbound tourism business to China, but has also become more willing to explore cooperation with Chinese suppliers in fields under the Group such as shipping, machinery, and energy. Cultural and people-to-people exchanges have become a catalyst for deepening cooperation between Kanoo and China in various fields. He expressed the hope that the Group would continue to support the Center’s various cultural and tourism activities in the UAE in the future. Al Rais Travel Group in the UAE is Dubai’s largest outbound tourism group operator serving UAE clients. Mohammed Al Rais, the Group’s major shareholder and Executive Director, said that the doubling of the number of UAE visitors to China in 2025 was an outstanding achievement jointly created by tourism practitioners from China and the UAE, and that more than 80% of the increase consisted of tourists traveling for tourism purposes. Al Rais Travel Group is willing to continue cooperating with the China Cultural Center in the UAE, take advantage of the successful visit to China by UAE Crown Prince Khaled, promote more UAE tourists to travel to various parts of China, and hopes that China will continue to carry out broader, deeper, and more sustained tourism promotion and marketing activities targeting the Gulf Arab countries, further increasing the visibility of “Nihao!China”. According to the 2026 work plan, the China Cultural Center in the UAE will integrate online and offline resources across all channels, cooperate with airlines and tour operators from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other countries, as well as tourism enterprises from Chinese tourism destinations, and continue to carry out the promotion of inbound tourism to China in the Gulf Arab countries. The promotion will focus on scenarios such as premium shopping, leisure vacations, high-end wellness, ice and snow experiences, low-altitude consumption, cruises, and yachts. Through quality inbound tourism routes and international networks, it will tell China’s stories well to the Gulf Arab countries and enhance the international influence of tourism.

After a year of renovation, the new area of Phase I of Pop Mart City Park was unveiled on April 24 and will be open to visitors starting from April 30. This update focuses on the popular IPs “LABUBU” and DIMOO, with significant adjustments made to amusement rides, interactive games, and catering facilities. The new area is divided into three sections: Adventure Forest Market, LABUBU Warrior Fjord, and Lake of Clouds. Upon entering the Adventure Forest Market, visitors will see forest cabins of various shapes. Inside, 13 carnival games are set up, including ball throwing and water gun shooting, allowing visitors to choose freely according to their preferences. The market also introduces food and beverage brands such as Siyanzai Cart Noodles and Peet’s Coffee. As the highlight of this update, the amusement ride “Flying LABUBU” is located in LABUBU Warrior Fjord. It is actually a uniquely designed pirate ship. The entire pirate ship is themed on Nordic fairy tales. The hull is decorated with rough wood textures and Nordic-style totems, and at the bow stands a proud LABUBU elf, as if leading the crew through the waves. The pirate ship can accommodate about 40 visitors at a time. When the ship swings high or dives rapidly, screams and laughter rise one after another. Below the ship, staff clap rhythmically in coordination with specially customized LABUBU-themed music, creating an experience that is both thrilling and entertaining. In addition, the park has added new rides such as bouncing towers and drop towers, also themed around LABUBU, further enriching the adventure experience. The amusement ride “Flying LABUBU” is the core highlight of this update of Pop Mart City Park. The Lake of Clouds retains its original name, but the area has been completely renewed. The former pure white carousel has been upgraded to “Waltz on the Clouds.” This DIMOO-themed ride incorporates elements such as clouds, kittens, and white swans, creating a light and romantic atmosphere. The former pure white carousel has been upgraded to “Waltz on the Clouds,” attracting visitors to take photos and check in. At present, about 30 percent of the new area still remains partially unveiled, and it will not be fully presented until the summer holiday this year. The Vice President of Pop Mart and General Manager of the City Park stated that the reason for opening ahead of full completion is to coincide with the upcoming May Day holiday peak, allowing long-awaited park fans and more visitors from other regions to experience it as early as possible. Entering the newly updated Adventure Forest Market of Pop Mart City Park, visitors will see forest cabins of various shapes. Pop Mart City Park ticket prices: Source: Beijing Release

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized “deeply implementing the action to expand and improve the quality of the service industry” and “cultivating more ‘China Services’ brands.” Recently, the Ministry of Commerce, together with the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and six other departments, issued the “Policy Measures on Promoting the Export of Travel Services and Expanding Inbound Consumption” (hereinafter referred to as the “Policy Measures”). The measures propose building a national tourism brand, strengthening global targeted marketing, and continuously improving visa policies, so that more international tourists “want to come to China” and “are able to come to China,” and to promote the creation of globally attractive inbound consumption destinations. The “Policy Measures” apply precise and systematic efforts, injecting new momentum into the development of the inbound tourism market and enhancing the brand image of “China Services.” Travel services are the largest sector of China’s service trade, with imports and exports accounting for more than one quarter of the total service trade. Inbound tourism is a window to observe “China Services.” In recent years, China has continuously promoted visa facilitation, payment internationalization, and service standardization, significantly enhancing the attractiveness of inbound tourism and consumption. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that in 2025, China received 35.17 million inbound foreign tourists, an increase of 30.5% compared with 2024. Consumption by inbound tourists in China, including food, accommodation, transportation, travel, shopping, and entertainment, is included in China’s travel service exports. According to the Ministry of Commerce, in 2025, the export scale reached 393.98 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 49.5%, 1.6 times that of 2019. From sightseeing check-ins to in-depth experiences, and from cultural tourism consumption to cultural resonance, “Travel to China” and “Shop in China” have become popular worldwide, enabling the world to understand the unique charm of Chinese culture while demonstrating the sincerity and strength of “China Services” with an open and inclusive attitude. The prosperous development of inbound tourism benefits from a series of policy support measures. The “Policy Measures” propose 16 specific measures covering seven aspects, including expanding inbound tourism consumption and facilitating inbound business activities, building a full-chain promotion system that enables tourists to come, travel smoothly, and spend comfortably. From orderly expanding the scope of unilateral visa-free countries to building the “Travel to China” brand, each measure focuses on key points of expanding inbound tourism consumption, making spontaneous travel to China a convenient choice for global tourists and opening broad space for “China Services” to expand in the global market. Rich and high-quality product supply is a strong support for the prosperity of inbound tourism and an important measure for “China Services” to demonstrate differentiated competitiveness. China has profound cultural heritage and diverse natural landscapes, providing unique advantages for developing inbound tourism. It is necessary to deeply explore cultural resources and create distinctive products such as intangible cultural heritage experiences and folk culture study tours, enabling international tourists to experience the depth and richness of Chinese culture through immersive experiences. It is also necessary to enrich industry formats, promote the deep integration of “sports + tourism,” “performing arts + cultural tourism,” and “wellness + tourism,” and develop new formats such as night tourism and rural tourism. At the same time, localities should be encouraged to develop特色 inbound tourism products according to local conditions, launch high-quality “multi-destination in one trip” routes, and promote integrated consumption plans combining “urban transport + attractions + accommodation + consumption,” to activate consumption potential through diversified supply and enable “China Services” to possess both cultural warmth and market competitiveness. To further tap the potential of inbound tourism, it is also necessary to continuously improve the quality of tourism services. At present, the needs of international tourists are shifting from traditional sightseeing to in-depth experiences and quality consumption, placing higher requirements on service quality. Efforts should focus on the entire process of “food, accommodation, transportation, travel, shopping, and entertainment” to better meet increasingly diversified tourism consumption needs. In terms of language services, it is necessary to improve multilingual signage in scenic spots and promote multilingual versions of lifestyle service applications, ensuring barrier-free communication for international tourists. In terms of digital services, convenient functions such as intelligent navigation and real-time translation should be promoted to empower tourism experiences with technology. In terms of basic services, the level of foreign language services in key locations should be enhanced, allowing international tourists to experience convenient, comfortable, and reassuring “China Services.” The development of inbound tourism not only helps shape a positive international image and promote mutual learning among civilizations, but also drives consumption growth and industrial prosperity, playing an important role in cultivating the cultural tourism industry as a pillar industry. A report by the “Inbound Tourism” research group of the Institute of International Service Trade of the Ministry of Commerce Research Institute believes that with the upgrading of service consumption and the release of policy dividends, inbound tourism will enter a fast track characterized by “simultaneous improvement in quantity and quality and diversified momentum.” The inbound tourism industry will adapt to global trends of quality, experiential, and digital-intelligent cross-border tourism and accelerate toward a new stage of high-quality development. Facing new situations and opportunities, all policy measures should be effectively implemented to further increase the popularity of spontaneous travel to China, making inbound tourism an important window to showcase the charm of “China Services” and release the potential of service trade, and enabling it to shine more brightly on the global tourism stage. Source: People’s Daily

Starting from October 2026, Etihad Airways will gradually launch five major destinations in the Chinese mainland: Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou! Together with the existing daily flights to Beijing, Etihad Airways will cover six cities with 35 direct flights per week to the Chinese mainland, enabling passengers to travel easily to and from Abu Dhabi and explore China’s most dynamic cities. Source: Etihad Airways

On February 8, the 2026 UAE “Happy Chinese New Year” — Liuyang Fireworks Show from Hunan was successfully held in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. More than 200 friendly representatives from the tourism, media, and other sectors of China and the UAE attended the lighting ceremony, and over 15,000 local residents and tourists watched the fireworks display. At exactly 8:00 p.m., amid great anticipation, splendid fireworks lit up the sky over Marjan Island in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, a new cultural and tourism landmark in the UAE. The words “China,” “UAE,” and “Spring” illuminated the night sky. Chinese cultural performances and other rich activities were also held on site. Local social media influencers held the “Happy Chinese New Year” Auspicious Horse mascot and took photos in front of the fireworks. More than ten major local UAE media outlets and China Media Group covered the event.

The 2026 Dubai “Warm Spring Welcome · Happy Chinese New Year” Spring Festival Concert was held on the evening of February 8 at the Al Wasl Dome Plaza in Expo City Dubai. Oubo Qian, Consul General of China in Dubai, Najib Mohammed Al Ali, Executive Director of the Expo City Dubai Authority, and nearly one thousand guests from the business and arts communities attended the event. The Jilin Provincial Culture and Art Troupe and the Dubai Firdaus Orchestra performed together. Through a musical “dialogue” between the East and the West, they delivered Spring Festival blessings for the Year of the Horse to local audiences, allowing UAE audiences to immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere of the Chinese Spring Festival. The concert opened with the lively and joyful “Spring Festival Overture.” With the accompaniment of the Firdaus Orchestra, Chinese folk music artists began with solo performances on classic Chinese instruments including the bamboo flute, erhu, guzheng, and pipa, and then jointly performed adapted versions of “Whipping the Horse to Hurry the Grain Transport,” “Horse Racing,” “Fishermen’s Song at Eventide,” and “Medley of Chinese Classic Folk Songs,” showcasing to UAE audiences the unique charm of traditional Chinese instruments and their perfect integration with orchestral instruments. Afterwards, the orchestra skillfully performed Chinese classic pieces such as “Jasmine Flower,” “The Yellow River Boatmen’s Song,” and “Yao Nationality Dance” using Western instruments together with Arabic instruments such as the oud and rababa, demonstrating the orchestra’s in-depth understanding and research of Chinese culture and arts in recent years. Finally, the concert concluded with festival classics “Joyful,” “Good News from Beijing Reaches the Frontier Village,” and the Arabic traditional piece “Longua Riad.” Chinese and Western instruments, as well as Chinese and Arabic instruments, blended perfectly in the classic repertoires of both sides, with rhythms complementing each other. Through a “dialogue” of instruments, the musicians created a classic work of mutual learning and exchange among civilizations, vividly interpreting the concept of “each appreciating its own beauty and sharing beauty together.” As a key event of the 2026 Dubai “Warm Spring Welcome · Happy Chinese New Year” Grand Parade, the concert was guided by the Chinese Embassy in the UAE, the Consulate General of China in Dubai, and Expo City Dubai, jointly organized by the China Cultural Center in the UAE, the Jilin Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Dubai Firdaus Orchestra, and hosted by the Jilin Provincial Center for International Cultural Exchange.

On February 8, the Dubai “Warm Spring Welcome · Happy Chinese New Year” Grand Parade was grandly held at Expo City. The event was jointly organized by the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in the UAE and Expo City Dubai. Oubo Qian, Consul General of China in Dubai, Zhao Liang, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in the UAE, important members of the royal families of Dubai and the Northern Emirates, government officials, and friendly representatives from various sectors in the UAE attended the event, with 4,000 guests present. Oubo Qian delivered a speech and stated that this year’s event centered on the theme of “From Tradition to the Future,” and the “Seven Stars in Alignment” for the first time covered all seven emirates of the UAE. We have always upheld the principle of inviting public participation, opening to the public, and sharing with the public. This conveys a clear message that the people have always been the strongest foundation, the most dynamic force, and the warmest bridge of China-Arab relations. The grand parade consisted of 45 contingents, including the Dubai Police ceremonial mounted unit, floats, and future technology displays. More than 60 Spring Festival markets featuring intangible cultural heritage and modern technology attracted nearly 10,000 spectators. Chaoshan Yingge Dance, robot dance, the Yuxiangyuan Song Dynasty traditional wedding, and special performances by Jilin Province and the Ili Song and Dance Theatre were presented one after another. A Spring Festival concert jointly performed by Chinese and Arab artists brought the grand parade to a successful conclusion.

On February 6, the “Nihao!China” Winter Tourism Promotion Event was held at the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. According to statistics from the Sheikh Zayed Festival, the number of visitors to the festival site that day was about 18,000. Centered on the theme of China’s winter inbound tourism, the promotional booth played winter tourism promotional videos and set up interactive sessions such as calligraphy and painting experiences, prize quizzes on winter tourism knowledge, and Year of the Horse Spring Festival photo check-ins. Visitors gathered around the booth and actively participated in the experience activities. In the painting area, children used colored pens to draw the winter scenery of China in their minds; in front of the Spring Festival photo check-in spot, families happily took photos with the Auspicious Horse, smiling brightly; participants in the prize quiz gained deeper understanding of China’s winter folk customs and tourism characteristics through Q&A. Many visitors said they hoped to have the opportunity to travel to China in person to experience the authentic festive atmosphere of the Chinese Spring Festival folk customs and winter natural landscapes. On January 30, 31, and February 6, 13 large screens in the Sheikh Zayed Festival venue played winter tourism promotional videos from Beijing, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Hebei, Xinjiang, and other provinces and cities in China on a multi-angle loop, enhancing the visibility of China’s winter tourism products and enabling more local UAE residents to learn about China’s ice-and-snow tourism resources.

On February 6, the 2026 UAE “Happy Chinese New Year” Grand Gala event was successfully held at the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Abu Dhabi. The Jilin Provincial Culture and Art Troupe and the Hunan Acrobatic Art Theatre performed together. Zhao Liang, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in the UAE, Mohammed, Chairman of the Sheikh Zayed Festival, and friendly representatives from various sectors of China and the UAE attended the event, experiencing Chinese culture together with UAE audiences and celebrating the Chinese Spring Festival. According to statistics from the Sheikh Zayed Festival, the number of visitors to the festival site that day was about 18,000. In his speech, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Zhao stated that as the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse arrives, “Happy Chinese New Year” has once again come to the well-known Sheikh Zayed Festival, allowing the people of the UAE to experience the joyful and harmonious Spring Festival culture up close. The horse is a shared symbol of both Chinese and Arab cultures and is deeply loved by the peoples of the two countries. He expressed his wish that China-UAE relations in the Year of the Horse will gallop forward like a fine steed, making steady progress and achieving long-term development, and writing a new chapter. The performance opened with the magnificent percussion piece “Drum Spirit,” quickly igniting the atmosphere. The guzheng piece “Moonlit Night on the Spring River,” the pipa piece “Ambush on All Sides,” the dizi piece “Whipping the Horse to Hurry the Grain Transport,” the zhongruan piece “Camel Bells on the Silk Road,” the sheng piece “Joyful Water-Splashing Festival,” and the Chinese folk music ensemble pieces “Blooming Flowers and Full Moon” and “Joyful” successively played Spring Festival blessings. The song “Spring Ballet” expressed the joy of celebrating the Spring Festival together. The acrobatic performance “Ode to the Harvest and Bamboo Hat Song” showcased farming culture with exquisite skills. The magic show “Umbrella and Fruit Fantasy” drew cheers from the audience. The contortion act “Rhythm of Spring” demonstrated strength and beauty. The dances “Jasmine Flower,” “White Horse Dance,” and “Harvest Blessings” pushed the performance to a climax through the combination of traditional Chinese music and dance. The erhu piece “Horse Racing” was passionate and unrestrained, galloping in with blessings for the Year of the Horse. The fireworks show from Liuyang, Hunan, served as the grand finale of the gala, lighting up the night sky of the Sheikh Zayed Festival. The colorful lights complemented the “Auspicious Horse” mascot of “Happy Chinese New Year” on the festival lighthouse, blending with the cheers of the audience and bringing the entire event to a climax, winning rounds of applause. The “Nihao!China” winter tourism promotion event organized by the China Cultural Center in the UAE was highly popular. Centered on the theme of China’s winter inbound tourism, the event booth attracted many local UAE residents through interactive sessions such as winter tourism promotional video screenings, calligraphy and painting experiences, prize quizzes on winter tourism knowledge, and Year of the Horse Spring Festival photo check-ins, enabling participants to gain deeper understanding of China’s winter folk customs and tourism characteristics. The 2026 UAE “Happy Chinese New Year” Grand Gala event was guided by the Chinese Embassy in the UAE, supported by the Hunan Provincial Government, jointly organized by the China Cultural Center in the UAE and the Jilin Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and hosted by the Jilin Provincial Center for International Cultural Exchange.

As the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse approaches, the festive atmosphere is growing stronger. On February 5, the China Cultural Center in the UAE and the Jilin Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism jointly organized the “Happy Chinese New Year” campus event. The Jilin Provincial Culture and Art Troupe visited Yas School in Abu Dhabi and celebrated the Spring Festival together with more than 300 local teachers and students. Fatima Al Bastaki, head of the UAE Chinese Language Education “Hundred Schools Project,” Fatima Al Hosseini, principal of Yas School, Liu Yang, Director of the China Cultural Center in the UAE, the head of Hamdan Bin Zayed School, as well as student parents from institutions including the Abu Dhabi royal family and the Presidential Court attended the event. Fatima Al Bastaki, Head of the UAE Chinese Language Education “Hundred Schools Project,” Delivered a Speech Fatima Al Hosseini, Principal of Yas School, Delivered a Speech The performance opened with the majestic percussion piece “Drum Spirit,” and the powerful drumbeats instantly ignited the enthusiasm of the entire audience. The ethnic-style “White Horse Dance” and the classic Chinese folk music ensemble “Blooming Flowers and Full Moon” showcased the profound heritage and colorful charm of Chinese culture. The magic show “Umbrella and Fruit Fantasy” and the joyful dance “Harvest Blessings,” interspersed throughout the program, delivered wonderful wishes to teachers and students. After enjoying the professional performances from China, students of Yas School were also eager to take part. Primary school students sang the Chinese song “Peking Opera Facial Makeup,” full of unique charm; middle school students worked together to dance with a Chinese dragon; and high school students performed an Arabic traditional dance, bringing the event to a climax.