On 2026年4月22日, the Saudi Tourism Authority (SCTA) updated the "China Cultural and Tourism Group Visa Whitelist," and for the first time included 17 local destination management companies from Luoyang, Anyang, and Kaifeng in Henan into the qualification certification channel, authorizing them to directly issue exclusive visa invitation letters for "Cultural Immersion Tour Groups" to Saudi tourists. This move has a substantive impact on segmented industries such as outbound group tour operators, Middle East channel partners, cultural-themed itinerary operators, and regional cultural and tourism service providers, marking a structural change in the implementation efficiency and regional coverage of China-Saudi cultural and tourism cooperation.

Event Overview

On 2026年4月22日, the Saudi Tourism Authority (SCTA) officially updated the "China Cultural and Tourism Group Visa Whitelist," adding 17 local destination management companies from Luoyang, Anyang, and Kaifeng in Henan Province to the qualification certification channel. After obtaining authorization, the above institutions may directly issue officially recognized visa invitation letters for Saudi tourists traveling to Saudi Arabia to participate in "Cultural Immersion Tour Groups." This visa is applicable to the visa-free interview process, and the approval cycle has been shortened to 3 working days.

Which Segmented Industries Are Affected

Middle East Outbound Travel Channel Partners

Directly affected by this adjustment. Previously, Chinese cultural-themed itineraries for the Saudi market had to rely on national headquarters or third-party visa service agencies to coordinate visa invitation letters, resulting in long processes and slow response times; now, qualified local destination management companies in Luoyang, Anyang, and Kaifeng can directly connect with Saudi group tour operators, enabling the packaging of cross-regional cultural resources such as "Oracle Bone Script + Yinxu + Longmen Grottoes + Along the River During the Qingming Festival" and rapid visa delivery. The impact is mainly reflected in greater flexibility in product combinations, shorter itinerary delivery cycles, and stronger localized service response capabilities.

Henan Regional Cultural and Tourism Destination Service Providers

For the first time, they have obtained direct qualification authorization from SCTA, upgrading from an execution role to a key node in the visa process. The impact is reflected in the forward shift of their position in the business chain——they are not only responsible for reception functions, but also need to coordinate with Saudi group operators to complete compliance review of visa materials, endorsement of itinerary authenticity, and explanatory statements on cultural content adaptation. New requirements are put forward for staff qualifications, multilingual document management, and cross-time-zone collaboration mechanisms.

Cultural-Themed Itinerary Design and Operators

Leveraging the joint heritage application potential and symbolic heritage cluster of the three cities (Yinxu, Longmen Grottoes, Northern Song Dongjing City Site), "Central Plains Cultural Immersion" has become a cross-border product unit that can be independently packaged. The impact lies in the higher threshold for product standardization——it must match SCTA's implicit requirements for "Cultural Immersion Tour Groups" regarding content duration, interpreter qualifications, intangible cultural heritage interactive sessions, etc., rather than being declared simply by stacking scenic spot names.

What Should Relevant Enterprises or Practitioners Focus On, and How Should They Respond at Present

Pay Attention to the Detailed Rules of the "Cultural Immersion Tour Group Operation Guide" to Be Released by SCTA

At present, only the fact of the whitelist expansion has been confirmed, but the specific group type definition applicable to visa invitation letters, the required proportion of cultural content, the certification standards for tour guide qualifications, and the itinerary filing method have not yet been disclosed. Relevant enterprises should continue to follow updates on the official SCTA website and the cultural and tourism cooperation section of the Chinese Embassy in Saudi Arabia, so as to avoid applying the logic of existing conventional tour groups to the new rules.

Differentiate Between Policy Authorization and the Actual Pace of Business Implementation

Although the 17 destination management companies have obtained qualifications, differences still exist in their contracting capabilities with Saudi group operators, multilingual service capabilities, and progress in integrating international settlement systems. When selecting local partners, channel operators should prioritize verifying their actual record of successfully issuing the first order, rather than making decisions solely based on the whitelist directory.

Sort Out in Advance the Linkage Plans for Cultural Resources Across the Three Cities and the Compliance Material Package

For itineraries involving cross-city travel (such as Anyang Yinxu—Luoyang Longmen Grottoes—Kaifeng Qingming Riverside Garden), the leading destination management company needs to uniformly prepare materials such as itinerary descriptions, cultural interpretation texts, and certificates of cooperation with intangible cultural heritage inheritors that meet SCTA requirements. It is recommended that relevant enterprises start template research and internal training immediately to shorten the subsequent product launch cycle.

Editorial Viewpoint / Industry Observation

From an industry perspective, this whitelist expansion is better understood as a pilot move by SCTA to promote the "sinking of destination capabilities," rather than a simple incremental policy. Its signal significance lies in the fact that Saudi Arabia is extending visa authorization to non-first-tier cities with strong cultural identity and mature reception capabilities, thereby forcing local Chinese cultural and tourism service providers to enhance their awareness of international compliance and cross-cultural delivery capabilities. What deserves more attention at present is whether this model will expand within 2026 to other culturally dense provinces such as Shanxi (Yungang Grottoes + Mount Wutai) and Shaanxi (Terracotta Warriors + Giant Wild Goose Pagoda). From an analytical point of view, this is not an isolated event, but forms a supporting measure aligned with Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" goal of increasing the proportion of cultural tourism revenue; however, the specific breadth and speed of implementation still need to be observed through the pace of subsequent quarterly updates.

Conclusion

The core industry significance of this SCTA whitelist adjustment lies in further delegating visa responsibilities to local destination entities with cultural recognizability and operational maturity, thereby optimizing the response efficiency of the Middle East market to Chinese cultural-themed products. At present, it is more appropriate to understand it as the starting point of regional capability certification, rather than a sign of comprehensive opening. Industry participants should adopt a prudent and pragmatic attitude, focusing on the implementation of detailed rules, material compliance, and the building of coordination mechanisms, so as to avoid simply equating the qualification list with order growth.

Information Source Note

Main sources: announcement on the official website of the Saudi Tourism Authority (SCTA) dated 2026年4月22日; latest public document version of the "China Cultural and Tourism Group Visa Whitelist."

Parts for continued observation: SCTA's implementation details for "Cultural Immersion Tour Groups," the execution status of the first orders by destination management companies in the three cities, and whether the subsequent whitelist will expand to other provinces.