Middle East nations to enhance tourism ties with China

Countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are working to strengthen their partnership with China in the tourism sector, which holds significant potential for growth between the two regions.

"China is one of the most critical and important markets for Saudi Arabia, especially to achieve its 2030 vision. It's going to be (one of) the top two source markets," said Alhasan Aldabbagh, president of Asia-Pacific markets at the Saudi Tourism Authority.

Saudi Arabia unveiled its ambitious economic diversification plan, Vision 2030, in 2016 with a focus on tourism. The target is to attract 150 million visitors by 2030 and have tourism contribute to 10 percent of its GDP. Among the total number of visitors, the kingdom aims to attract 3 million visitors from China by 2030.