STORY: Why Middle East becomes popular holiday choices for Chinese tourists?
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 10, 2024/File
DATELINE: Feb. 20, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:42
LOCATION: Cairo
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Türkiye
2. various of Jordan
3. various of Egypt
4. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): ASHRAF ELEWA, CEO of Interpoint Tours Travel in Egypt
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHOU, Chinese tourist
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): Chinese tourist

STORYLINE:

Data from multiple online travel platforms showed that during this year's eight-day Spring Festival holiday that ended on Saturday, Chinese tourists' outbound travel has shown a significant acceleration in recovery, with booking volumes reaching a near four-year peak.

Among the popular destinations, Middle Eastern countries have emerged as one of the new favorites for Chinese travelers.

According to Qunar, a leading Chinese online travel platform, search volumes for countries in the Middle East such as Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt have surged since last December.

To woo Chinese tourists, countries such as Egypt, Jordan, the UAE and Iran have rolled out visa-on-arrival or visa-free options, further streamlining entry processes.

Numerous Middle Eastern countries have taken proactive steps to increase the number of direct flights to China.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): ASHRAF ELEWA, CEO of Interpoint Tours Travel in Egypt
"As I've predicted, the number of Chinese tourists had increased during the Spring Festival holiday."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHOU, Chinese tourist
"The relations between China and Middle East countries are close. My tour guide's proficiency in Chinese is impressive. During my travels in the Middle East, I really sensed the locals being super friendly towards Chinese."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): Chinese tourist
"We feel very safe in Jordan. Our tour guide and the locals are very nice."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cairo.
(XHTV)