Previously lagging in popularity, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is now witnessing a boom in Chinese visitors, according to a recent report by The Luxury Conversation.
Growth is driven by local travel incentives introduced into the region, including visas on arrival for Chinese nationals visiting the UAE, and the rising sophistication of Chinese travellers seeking new destinations. Additionally, China’s One Belt One Road initiative, which cuts through the region, has the potential to put MENA on the map for travel-savvy Chinese.
Rabat, Morocco
In Dubai, 540,000 tourists arrived from China in 2016, up from 450,000 a year earlier and cementing the country as a top 10 source market for the emirate.
Meanwhile, even before Morocco’s decision to drop visa requirements for Chinese visitors in July 2016, Ctrip predicted a 3,500 per cent increase in visa applications to the country. With 42,000 Chinese tourists in 2016 – a 300 per cent year-on-year increase from 2015 – Morocco has announced a goal of 100,000 visitors from the Middle Kingdom this year.
And while Chinese retail dollars continue pouring into the Middle East malls – accounting for 25 per cent of luxury goods sold in Mall of the Emirates according the Majid Al Futtaim Group – Chinese tourists are displaying a shift away from the material to the experiential.
In conjunction with an interest in cultural tourism is Chinese travellers’ eagerness to one-up their friends with photos from far-flung destinations posted to their WeChat Moments newsfeed.
MENA countries such as Saudi Arabia have made culture a pillar of their tourism strategy, with plans to increase the number of museums from 155 to 241, increase the number of UNESCO listed world heritage sites from four to 10, and up the number of archaeological sites suitable to visit from 75 to 155 – all by 2030.
“The MENA region is becoming a hot spot for China’s growing group of luxury travellers. Many have already gone to Asia, Europe and America and are seeking more unique getaways that blend great hospitality, unique culture and experiences, shopping and local cuisine,” said Nick Cakebread, managing partner, Reuter Communications, a luxury marketing agency that commissioned the report.
