On May 1, 2026, the Saudi Tourism and Heritage Committee (SCTA) officially launched a new version of the whitelist of Chinese cultural and tourism service providers, adding 12 local travel agencies registered in Luoyang and Kaifeng, including Henan Lelv Travel Agency. This adjustment directly impacts the cultural and tourism service supply chain for inbound tourists to Saudi Arabia, particularly constituting substantial changes to the business interfaces of outbound travel service providers, operators of Central Plains cultural theme products, visa coordination service providers, and regional cultural and tourism integration platforms.

Event Overview

The Saudi Tourism and Heritage Committee (SCTA) officially launched a new version of its whitelist of Chinese cultural and tourism service providers on May 1, 2026, explicitly including 12 local travel agencies located in Luoyang and Kaifeng, such as Henan Lelv Travel Agency. According to publicly available information, these agencies, after obtaining the necessary qualifications, can provide international tourists holding Saudi e-visas with booking services for in-depth tours showcasing Central Plains culture, including visa facilitation.

Which sub-sectors will be affected?

Outbound tour operators targeting the Saudi market

These types of companies typically need to connect with overseas ground handling resources to design closed-loop products. The expansion of the whitelist means they can directly select newly added Henan ground handling agencies as the implementing parties for Central Plains cultural routes, without needing third-party intermediaries or additional qualification reviews. The main impacts are shortened product development cycles, improved efficiency in localized service response, and enhanced compliance guarantees for visa-trip linkage solutions.

Central Plains Culture Theme Tourism Product Operator

Businesses focusing on historical sites, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and study tours in ancient capitals like Luoyang and Kaifeng previously struggled to scale up their services for Saudi tourists holding e-visas due to limited access to Saudi inbound tourism. This new whitelist, covering localized and professional ground handling services, provides them with officially certified service locations to expand their Saudi customer base. The impact is primarily on the feasibility of expanding B2B channels, the ability to standardize the delivery of themed products, and the increased demand for cross-cultural service adaptation.

Visa Collaborative Cultural Tourism Service Platform

Platform companies providing integrated "visa + itinerary" solutions rely on whitelisted agencies to complete the service loop. The addition of 12 Henan-based travel agencies has expanded their resource density and scheduling flexibility in the Central Plains region, but it has also increased the requirements for consistency in local service standards, emergency response mechanisms, and multi-entity collaborative management capabilities. The impact is reflected in increased complexity of resource integration and a stronger demand for traceability and compliance documentation of the service process.

What key areas should relevant businesses or practitioners focus on, and how should they respond at present?

Pay attention to the dynamic whitelist management mechanism subsequently announced by SCTA.

Currently, only 12 new institutions have been confirmed for inclusion in the whitelist, but their validity period, exit conditions, or annual review arrangements have not been disclosed. Related companies should continuously monitor the SCTA website or the announcements on cultural and tourism cooperation issued by the Chinese Embassy in Saudi Arabia to avoid disruptions to the fulfillment of signed travel agreements due to changes in qualification status.

The focus will be on the service categories and practical capabilities of local travel agencies in Luoyang and Kaifeng.

The whitelist only indicates that an organization is qualified; it does not equate to its full-category service capabilities. Businesses should verify an organization's actual performance records in areas such as multilingual guided tours, e-visa-based visitor route design, cross-border payment settlement, and emergency medical assistance before cooperating, rather than simply relying on the list for procurement.

Distinguishing between policy approval signals and the actual pace of business implementation

The whitelist will be implemented on May 1, 2026, but the scope, quota mechanism, and length of stay for Saudi e-visas for Chinese tourists will still be coordinated by the Saudi Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Currently, it is more important to focus on the actual number of visas issued, actual tourist arrival data, and feedback from the first wave of cooperation cases, rather than simply viewing the whitelist as an immediate signal of increased availability.

Review the contract framework and key points of responsibility division with newly added local travel agencies in advance.

Services involving visa processing should clearly define the visa application submission deadlines, conditions for refunds and changes, and liability in cases of force majeure. It is recommended to update the standard contract template with reference to the SCTA's "Guidelines for Cooperation with Cultural and Tourism Service Providers" (if applicable), and to include specific provisions regarding the timeliness of information synchronization for e-visa holders.

Editor's Viewpoint / Industry Observation

Observably, this expansion of the whitelist is not an isolated administrative action, but rather a continuation of Saudi Arabia's efforts to build localized service capabilities for the tourism economy under its "Vision 2030" strategy. It is more accurately understood as a structural signal—that Saudi Arabia is gradually incorporating the service supply capabilities of key Chinese cultural and tourism destinations into its official certification system, rather than solely targeting first-tier hub cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Analysis shows that its current significance lies more in establishing institutional interfaces, and has not yet yielded quantifiable results in tourist flow conversion. The industry needs to continuously monitor the actual growth rate of Saudi tourists visiting Luoyang and Kaifeng, their average length of stay, and the quality of secondary dissemination content over the next 6-12 months.

In conclusion, this adjustment marks the formal integration of Central Plains cultural destinations into Saudi Arabia's official cultural and tourism service network. However, its industry value depends on the coordinated progress of three factors: subsequent visa facilitation, stability of ground handling operations, and the pace of market cultivation. Currently, it is more appropriate to understand this as a preparatory institutional move rather than a driver of immediate performance.

Information source explanation:
Main source: Saudi Tourism and Heritage Commission (SCTA) official website announcement (effective May 1, 2026 version);
Areas requiring continued observation include: the dynamic update mechanism of the SCTA whitelist, the specific service details of newly added local travel agencies in Henan, and the actual issuance and usage rate of Saudi e-visas for Chinese tourists.