Saudi Arabia's tourism minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb said he welcomed the arrival of more tourists from China, highlighting it as a major market for Saudi Arabia which is aiming to build a thriving tourism economy in line with its ambitious Saudi Vision 2030.
In an interview on Monday with China Global Television Network (CGTN) at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Al-Khateeb discussed the country's hopes for a robust tourism sector that will grow its contribution to national GDP to 10 percent by 2030.
"For us in Saudi Arabia, travel and tourism is a main pillar of our 2030 vision where we opened up this sector back in 2019 for people to come and explore the beauty and the culture, and the welcoming nation of Saudi Arabia and to further diversify our economy and make it more resilient. Therefore, tourism for us in Saudi Arabia is very, very important. We are investing heavily in the sector to build new destinations and therefore, for us in Saudi Arabia, travelers and tourism is very, very important, and we want to take it from about five percent of our economy to 10 percent by 2030, which is the global average," he said.
Al-Khateeb said that Saudi Arabia has improved its tourism offering to attract more visitors from China, especially young people.
"They (Chinese) are coming to explore our Arabian hospitality because they love it. We are a very welcoming nation. They want to explore also the culture and the history in Saudi Arabia, and many other civilizations passed and left behind their history and heritage, and also to enjoy the mountains in the south and enjoy our culture. Therefore, for us, China is a very important market. We are building and enriching our content for the future travelers, especially the younger generation, to come and enjoy the vast and attractive offerings by the country," he said.
Saudi minister welcomes Chinese visitors as Saudi Arabia aims to boost tourism
A fully robotic restaurant where AI-powered robots prepare and serve a full range of dishes, drinks, and desserts started its trial operations in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang after the province's first robot restaurant began trial operations.
Inside the restaurant, a cooking robot can be seen preparing popular Chinese dish Three-Cup Chicken. Following pre-set programs, the cooking robot would add ingredients and seasonings to the cooking pot in sequence, while its robotic arms would stir, toss and adjust flavor automatically. Within minutes, a freshly cooked dish is completed.
"The food tastes good and suits my preferences. It would be even better if it were a bit more tender," said a customer.
Another customer said the restaurant just brings his childhood imagination to life.
"When I was young, I saw robots cooking in cartoons. Now it feels like a childhood dream has come true," said the customer.
According to staff from the restaurant, the cooking robot has a built-in menu of more than 100 dishes, mainly featuring the Hangzhou cuisine known for its light, fresh and delicate flavors. The restaurant's development team has also designed 24 seasonal specialty dishes inspired by China's traditional 24 solar terms, blending modern technology with traditional dietary concepts.
The 24 solar terms, consisting of 12 major solar terms and 12 minor solar terms, were created thousands of years ago by the ancient Chinese to guide agricultural production. Today, the culture behind the terms provides useful guidance to people's lives as each term features special food, cultural ceremonies and healthy living tips.
Moreover, the noodle-cooking robot in the restaurant can prepare three different types of noodles simultaneously, with each order taking about three minutes to complete.
More than 10 robots are currently in operation at the restaurant, including cooking, noodle-making, coffee-making and floor-cleaning robots, covering multiple stages such as food preparation, serving and cleaning.
AI robot restaurant begins trial operations in east China's Hangzhou
