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The Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism joined a record 28-company Chinese delegation from eight provinces and cities at the Arabian Travel Market 2026, according to a Xinhua report published the same day. The group presented customized itineraries tailored to Gulf travelers, capitalizing on heightened regional interest in destinations across China. Event participants from the Middle East noted surging demand linked to expanded visa-free access that now covers travelers from 50 countries, including many in the GCC bloc. A tourism operator cited in coverage of the fair said demand from GCC countries had grown markedly since the visa policy changes, with expectations for even larger groups in coming seasons.
Bilateral trade between the UAE and Zhejiang province reached $16.75 billion in 2024, a Zawya report citing the UAE Consul-General in Shanghai indicated, before climbing another 19.8 percent year-on-year to $9.34 billion in the first half of 2025. The consul-general highlighted Zhejiang electric vehicle exports through Ningbo port that jumped nearly 273 percent in the same period, positioning the UAE as the top market. Such commercial links, the consul-general added, complement people-to-people exchanges that tourism promotion seeks to accelerate. The UAE hosts more than 16,500 Chinese trade licences and around 350,000 Chinese residents, according to the same briefing.
China’s pavilion at the Dubai fair, now in its third consecutive year with support from the China Cultural Center in the UAE, drew attention for blending cultural familiarization with travel packages, the Xinhua dispatch reported. Liu Yang, director of the center, told the agency that growing online exposure through social media was helping deepen these ties between China and Arab visitors. The delegation’s presence at the four-day event, which runs through September 17 and attracts more than 55,000 participants overall, underscores coordinated efforts to convert trade familiarity into leisure travel growth.
Zhejiang offers 19 national 5A scenic areas and three UNESCO World Heritage sites, including West Lake, the Liangzhu Ancient City ruins and Mount Jianglang, a provincial travel guide updated in 2026 detailed. Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport operates more than 30 direct international routes, among them connections to the Middle East, facilitating easier access for regional tourists. The province’s tourism authorities have previously staged similar promotions, such as documentary broadcasts across Egypt, the UAE and Yemen in 2024 that a Plentisoft release said aimed at cultural understanding.
Regional flight capacity between China and the Gulf has expanded by nearly 25 percent compared with the prior year, CNBC data referenced in related coverage showed, supporting the rise in two-way visitor numbers. Earlier this year, families from the UAE participated in educational tours to Zhejiang institutions including Jinhua University of Vocational Technology, a China Daily Hong Kong report from May 2026 noted. These visits combined sightseeing with business meetings, illustrating the overlap between tourism and commercial engagement that the current fair seeks to broaden.
