The Middle East and North Africa region has been witnessing a surge of Chinese tourists. New data from Dragon Trail’s 2025 white paper, shared exclusively with Skift ahead of its release Thursday, shows this shift is real, uneven, and tied to visas, flights and how “China-ready” these destinations are.
Some markets have pulled far ahead. Dubai recorded about 177,000 Chinese arrivals in 2022 and jumped to roughly 824,000 in 2024.
Saudi Arabia is growing quickly too, although from a smaller base. Chinese arrivals increased from 140,000 in 2023 to around 212,000 in 2024. The kingdom has set its sights much higher, with plans to attract millions of Chinese visitors by 2030. To get there, it has leaned on large-scale campaigns and simpler visa rules.
Source: Dragon trail research
Across North Africa, Morocco is showing similar momentum. Nearly 200,000 Chinese travelers visited in the first eight months of 2025, surpassing pre-pandemic records. In 2
