Recently,the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia came to China for the first time to promote tourism. They took Guangzhou as an important stop for the trip, indicating the strategic significance of the Chinese market represented by the GBA for Saudi Arabian tourism. Yangcheng Evening News conducted an exclusive video interview with Alhasan Aldabbagh, Saudi Tourism Authority's (STA) president of APAC Markets .

"Guangdong Province is one of the most important provinces in China, and the GBA is an even more important strategic market. People here are experienced international travellers," said Alhasan Aldabbagh.

As a vast country, Saudi Arabia has a total of 13 provinces, each with different characteristics and rich cultural diversity.

Saudi Arabia has a rich culture and numerous historical sites. The country boasts 6 World Heritage-listed resorts and over 10,000 archaeological sites newly developed as tourist attractions. "I would like to recommend a few cities for Chinese tourists - Jeddah, Riyadh, and El Ora. They have a cosmopolitan quality as well as a rich cultural history and monuments."

Gourmet is also a source of pride in Saudi Arabia. The country has a diverse dining system, with each of its 13 provinces having its own distinctive regional cuisine and its own mainstay. In addition, Saudi Arabia is rolling out more Chinese restaurants for Chinese tourists.

Currently, Guangzhou and Saudi Arabia have established direct flight routes, and in the future, Saudi Arabia will open new direct flight routes to connect other cities in Guangdong with the country. It will also tailor travel products for Chinese tourists, especially those from the GBA.

According to Alhasan Aldabbagh, in order to provide Chinese tourists with a more convenient travel experience, Saudi Arabia has carried out a series of upgrades - adding Chinese signs to the airport, updating the tourism website with Chinese pages, and negotiating with WeChat and Alipay for introducing electronic payment. At present, Chinese tourists can use UnionPay in Saudi Arabia, and a large number of Chinese-speaking tour guides and Chinese-speaking shopping guides have been recruited by local enterprises.

"It is very exciting news that Chinese tourists are back on the world tourism stage!" Alhasan Aldabbagh told reporters, "Saudi Arabia is now on list of approved outbound tourist destinations for Chinese citizens (Approved Destination Status, ADS ) and the country expects to attract 4 million Chinese tourists by 2030."

再出发·外旅局长访谈录③｜戴瀚森：沙特看好大湾区，为中国游客度身定造旅游产品

近日，沙特阿拉伯旅游局首次来到中国推广旅游，广州作为此行重要的一站，标注了以粤港澳大湾区为代表的中国市场对于沙特旅游的战略性意义。羊城晚报全媒体记者对沙特阿拉伯旅游局亚太区总裁戴瀚森进行了独家视频专访。

“广东省是中国最重要的省份之一，整个粤港澳大湾区更是重要的战略市场，这里的人民更是经验丰富的国际旅行爱好者。” 戴瀚森表示。

作为地域广袤的国家，沙特阿拉伯总共拥有13个省份，每一个省份的风格特点都各不相同，有着丰富的文化多样性。

沙特阿拉伯有丰富的文化和众多历史景点，除了6个世界遗产名录胜地外，还有超过10000个考古遗迹新近开发为旅游景点。“我想给中国游客推荐几个值得重点参观的城市——吉达、利雅得和埃尔奥拉，它们既具备国际化气质，同时也拥有丰富的文化历史和古迹。”

美食同样是沙特引以为豪的亮点。沙特有多样化的餐饮体系，13个省份中，每一个都有自己独具代表性的地方菜系，拥有各自的主打美食。与此同时，沙特也在提升中餐馆的数量，以满足中国游客的味蕾。

当前，广州和沙特已经建立了直航，未来沙特也打算继续开辟新的航线，用更多直航将广东省内的其他城市连接起来，并针对粤港澳大湾区等重点市场，为中国游客量身定制旅游产品。

据戴瀚森介绍，为了能给中国游客提供更方便顺畅的旅游体验，沙特进行了一系列升级改造：在机场添加了许多中文标识，更新了旅游网站，增加了相应的中文页面；针对中国游客习惯的电子支付方式，与微信、支付宝等展开洽谈合作。目前，中国游客也可以在沙特使用银联支付；大量招募会说中文的导游，并敦促本地商家派出更多懂中文的人员提供中文导购服务等。

“中国游客重回世界旅游舞台，是非常振奋人心的消息！” 戴瀚森告诉记者，“目前，沙特已被列入中国公民出境游目的地 (ADS) 名单，希望到2030年能吸引400万名中国游客到沙特阿拉伯旅游。”

策划｜孙爱群 陈桥生
监制｜邓琼 吴小攀
统筹｜李力
执行｜刘星彤
文｜刘星彤　宋骥才（实习生）
图｜沙特阿拉伯旅游局
视频｜宋骥才（实习生）
翻译|刘佳慧