During the ongoing 31st edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, exhibitors from various countries have introduced a variety of tourism services and products tailored for Chinese tourists, as China emerges as one of the largest visitor markets for Arabian countries in recent years.
The exhibition, one of the largest gatherings in the travel and tourism industry, commenced on Monday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), attracting over 40,000 attendees and 2,300 exhibitors from 165 countries and regions.
At the exhibition, the largest Dubai booth showcased promotional videos of its popular attractions, especially the city's China Town. Dubai's tourism department also has introduced a range of facilitation measures to attract more Chinese tourists.
"Last year, China was our seventh-largest market with over 600,000 overnight visitations. In 2016, we actually announced our visa-free policy for Chinese consumers to come to Dubai without any visa requirements. But on top of that, we worked extensively hard to ensure that we show a China-ready strategy across the city. So that included allowing integration systems like Alipay, Ali Plus, WeChat, and WeChat Pay across the city," said Shahab Shayan, director of Asia Pacific market at Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, on the event.
Since 2023, Chinese tourist numbers to Egypt have risen steadily. Egyptian government has implemented a series of incentive measures targeting airlines, travel agencies, hotels investors to further attract Chinese tourists. The country expects to achieve an annual influx of 3 million Chinese tourists by 2028.
"Direct flights have become very frequent now between China and Egypt. Lots of promotions through travel agents or through exhibitions are happening and taking place, trying to educate the market. The visa facilitation for Chinese travelers to come and obtain their entry visa at the airport also has facilitated their travel a lot recently," said Ghada Shalaby, Vice Minister of Tourism of Egypt.
China's total inbound and outbound trips are expected to exceed 264 million this year, generating tourism revenue of 107 billion U.S. dollars, the China Tourism Academy said.
With China's inbound and outbound tourism recovering, experts expect a faster rebound in global tourism markets.
Arabian countries showcase tailored services for Chinese visitors at tourism expo
Arabian countries showcase tailored services for Chinese visitors at tourism expo
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi made a hard landing in Iran's northwestern province of East Azerbaijan on Sunday, state-run IRIB TV reported.
Raisi’s helicopter was part of a convoy of three helicopters which was on its way from Khoda Afarin County, where Raisi had attended the inauguration ceremony of a storage dam along with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, to the provincial capital Tabriz where Raisi was scheduled to attend the inauguration of a petrochemical complex, according to the report.
"On May 19 local time, the helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi made a hard landing in East Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran. According to our investigation in Iran, the incident took place near the Varzaghan area of East Azerbaijan. From the live broadcast on Iranian national television, we can see that the entire area of the accident site is in a state of severe foggy weather, which caused great trouble to the search and rescue work. In addition to Iranian President Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the governor of East Azerbaijan Province, and other officials and entourage were also on the helicopter," said Li Jiannan, a CCTV reporter in Iran.
Speaking to IRIB TV, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi attributed the helicopter's rough landing to the unfavorable weather conditions, which he said also impacted search and rescue work.
The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society Pirhossein Kolivand told IRIB TV that 40 rapid reaction teams had rushed to the scene and were monitoring the region while noting that there were difficulties in reaching the scene by land or by air due to the mountainous terrain and the bad weather conditions.
Kolivand, however, said drones were being used to search the region.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Baqeri has ordered the army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the police to make all-out efforts to search for and rescue the president and his accompanying team, said the Iran Newspaper.
Speaking to IRIB TV, Iranian Health Minister Bahram Einollahi said medical teams had been stationed near the possible crash site.
Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said in a post on social media platform X that Vice President Mohsen Mansouri and several cabinet members were on their way to Tabriz after a meeting in Tehran.
Following the incident, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed his hope that President Raisi and accompanying officials would be able to return home safely, saying that everyone should pray for them. Iranian people do not need to worry, and the work of the country and the government will not be affected, he said.
Following reports of the incident, leaders of neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan and Iraq, expressed concern over the developments and said they were ready to assist in search and rescue efforts.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the same day, saying that Türkiye is following the incident and hopes that Iranian President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian and other Iranian officials are safe and healthy. Türkiye has taken action to provide support for the search and rescue operation, the statement said.
Iranian president's helicopter makes hard landing in NW province
