Tourism

The world’s largest gathering of Chinese travel industry professionals ever held outside of China took place in Abu Dhabi during the China Visitors Summit (CVS).

The landmark event brought together nearly 160 leading Chinese buyers, including travel agencies, tour operators, luxury travel agencies, wholesalers, MICE managers, and corporate travel planners. These buyers met face-to-face with UAE tourism suppliers such as hotels, destinations, attractions, museums, inbound tour operators, and shopping malls.

Over two days of intensive business networking at the Rotana Hotel and Conference Center in Al Ain, more than 3,000 one-to-one business meetings were conducted. Collectively, the participating Chinese buyers generated nearly $1 billion in global outbound travel business last year, representing more than 1.5 million international travelers, many of whom are focusing on the GCC region, particularly the UAE.

China is a vital source market

China has emerged as the world’s largest source of international tourism, with around 200 million passport holders and a similar number of outbound trips in the past year. Chinese travelers are estimated to have spent more than $300 billion annually worldwide, positioning China as a crucial market for global tourism destinations.

At the summit, UAE travel companies were able to customize their meeting schedules with Chinese buyers, tailoring them to their target market segments – from luxury leisure travel to business and MICE tourism.

Strengthening UAE-China tourism links

“The China Visitors Summit is not just about meetings – it’s about building long-term partnerships between the UAE and China’s most powerful travel industry leaders,” said Alexander Glos, CEO of the China i2i Group, the event’s organizer.

He added that Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE are now firmly positioned as must-visit destinations for Chinese travelers. The summit, he said, provided direct access, insights, and opportunities that UAE suppliers need to expand their presence in the Chinese market.

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