Saudi Tourism Authority targets Chinese fly-cruise tourists ahead of Aroya launch

The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has concluded an integrated travel campaign in China to boost inbound tourism to the Kingdom. 

The initiative reached more than 500 million people in China and achieved a 277% increase in bookings to Saudi Arabia, according to a press release. 

The campaign, featuring a week-long exhibition and films streaming on TV and digital platforms, comes ahead of Saudi Arabia’s launch of its first cruise ship for the domestic market.

The homegrown cruise line Aroya is currently having its first cruise ship, the former World Dream, refurbished in Europe for an anticipated 2024 launch.

The cruise line is part of Cruise Saudi’s effort to grow the domestic cruise market in Saudi Arabia, as well as attract upwards of 1 million cruise tourists to the country.

Aroya will primarily target the regional domestic cruise market across the Arab world, but will also cater to international fly-cruise tourists.

World Dream, as part of the Hong Kong-based Dream Cruises fleet, was originally designed for the Chinese market, but was sold to Cruise Saudi (the parent company of Aroya) when Dream Cruises filed for bankruptcy due to the pandemic.

Saudi Tourism Authority’s campaign began with a week-long Saudi Tourism Exhibition at the Shanghai Bund Waterfront, which gathered government, industry, and media representatives. 

The event, which welcomed more than 80,000 visitors, showcased the natural and historical attractions of Saudi Arabia through cultural shows and entertainment.

 STA also introduced a series of Saudi experience films streaming on national TV and major digital platforms in China and produced how-to tutorials that aim to support Chinese tourists unfamiliar with the region in planning their trip.  

“As one of the largest and fastest-growing sources of outbound tourism in the world, China is a key strategic market for Saudi Arabia,” said Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority. 

“That’s why we are absolutely thrilled to be launching our largest ever integrated travel campaign in the country – showcasing the diverse and unique wonders of the Kingdom to our Chinese friends,” he added. 

More than 100,000 Chinese tourists visited Saudi Arabia in 2023 and STA hopes to welcome five million travelers annually by 2030, Hamidaddin added. 

“This campaign further solidifies our growing partnership with China, with Saudi recently granted Approved Destination Status and ongoing work to streamline our visa services including our new e-visa and visas on arrival – as well as work to expand air connectivity between our two countries,” said Alhasan Aldabbagh, President of APAC Markets at the Saudi Tourism Authority. 

“We are also continuing to work with our key leading trade partners to increase our existing offer of over160 bespoke products to the Chinese market and have integrated Chinese payment solutions like Union Pay and AliPay+ to facilitate seamless payment for Chinese travelers,” he said.