Saudi Arabia seeks more Chinese tourists: tourism minister

China

Saudi Arabia seeks more Chinese tourists: tourism minister

2024-06-11 17:15 Last Updated At：22:37

Saudi Arabia will further unlock its tourist sector to attract more Chinese tourists to visit, Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said in Spain on Monday, adding that the Chinese market is extremely important.

Al-Khateeb is chairing the 121st session of the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization held in Barcelona, Spain, from Monday to Tuesday.

In an interview with China Global Television Network via video link, Al-Khateeb highlighted the measures his country has taken to facilitate Chinese people's travel to Saudi, including establishing travel agencies in China and launching more direct flights.

"We decided to unlock the tourism sector - a part of Vision 2030, and China is one of the most important markets for us because China exports the highest number of tourists globally, and therefore, the Chinese market is extremely important for us. We established an office for Visit Saudi in China and we have just signed with and start to fly the Chinese Eastern and Southern Airlines from Shanghai and Beijing - direct flights to Riyadh. And we are promoting Visit Saudi. You want to enjoy the Red Sea, the beach, and the sun and sea, or learn about the Saudi and the Arabian culture in the big cities and visit the different UNESCO-listed sites. For us, the Chinese tourists are very, very important," said the minister.

He also underscored the growth potential of tourist arrivals from China as well as the convenience of the e-visa system.

"We have less than a million visitors from China last year. And we want to grow this number because more than 100 million tourists travel from China to visit different countries around the world every year. We want to have a fair market share of 2 to 3 percent, which is 3 to 4 million Chinese visiting Saudi Arabia and to learn about our culture again. For us, China is very important. China was among the first countries to have the e-visa, and three to five minutes, get a visa to visit Saudi Arabia and enjoy the different Saudi cities," said the minister.

U.S.-led coalition mission in Iraq drawing to end by September 2025

2024-09-28 20:00 Last Updated At：20:37

The U.S.-led international mission formed a decade ago to combat the Islamic State extremist group in Iraq will cease to exist by September 2025, said a joint statement issued Friday by the U.S. and Iraqi governments.

There will be, however, a "transitioning to bilateral security partnerships in a manner that supports Iraqi forces and maintains pressure on ISIS," said the statement, which on the U.S. part was carried by the State Department's website, using the abbreviation of an alternative name of the Islamic State known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

According to the statement, the Iraq-U.S. Higher Military Commission which consists of representatives from both sides will formulate necessary measures to ensure the safety of coalition advisors present in Iraq during the transitional period.

The coalition's military mission in neighboring Syria, where the Islamic State also operates, "will continue until September 2026," the statement said.

The statement provided few details as to what, if any, number of U.S. troops will leave Iraq as a result of the end of the mission.

"I just want to foot stomp the fact that this is not a withdrawal. This is a transition. It's a transition from a coalition military mission to an expanded U.S.-Iraqi bilateral security relationship," a senior U.S. official told reporters during a briefing Friday.

The United States has some 2,500 military personnel in Iraq and roughly 900 troops in Syria, tasked with the mission of fighting Islamic State militants while also serving as trainers and advisors to local security forces.