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As China’s post-Covid travel boom hits, the Middle East is where all roads lead
- As travel picks up again in the post-pandemic era, more Chinese tourists are abandoning Western destinations
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When Ian Sun finally began travelling again earlier this year, the Shanghainese abandoned his original plan to visit Europe, instead opting to fly to Egypt.
Despite spending three years through the Covid-19 pandemic dreaming about traversing the European continent, a cheaper airfare to Egypt swayed the 30-year-old manager to change his mind.
It was a decision that saw him fall in love with the country’s rich, colourful history and friendly people – and now he has set his sights on Iran as his next travel destination as he continues his exploration of the Middle East.
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“The trip [to Egypt] has changed my impression of Arab countries dramatically, which I had previously found mysterious because of some of my stereotypical ideas about them. But now I feel that we are just different; nothing good or bad,” he said.
Ian is just one of many travellers now flocking to the Middle East and North Africa from China – part of a travel boom to the region that took off in the post-pandemic era. Top of the destination list is the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Egypt, while Qatar, Morocco and Iran are also in the mix.
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Data shows there has been a triple-digit growth in bookings to key Middle Eastern destinations in the first three months of this year compared with last year, according to Trip.com Group, China’s largest online travel agency.
The UAE received a total of 1.2 million Chinese tourists last year, the country’s tourism body revealed in June, adding that the tourist figure “is expected to achieve a significant increase this year”.
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