The Saudi Tourism Authority (SCTA) released an updated version of the 'China Authorized Destination Management Companies Whitelist' on 2026年4月28日, adding 12 Henan-based destination service agencies including Luoyang Ancient Capital Culture & Tourism and Kaifeng Qingming Riverside Landscape Destination Reception Center. This move will directly affect segmented fields such as outbound tourism services, MICE event organization, cross-border cultural and tourism cooperation, and visa-related support services, marking that China-Saudi tourism facilitation cooperation has entered a stage of deeper practical implementation.

Event Overview

The Saudi Tourism Authority (SCTA) officially updated the 'China Authorized Destination Management Companies Whitelist' on 2026年4月28日, adding a total of 12 destination management agencies registered in Henan Province, including Luoyang Ancient Capital Culture & Tourism Co., Ltd. and Kaifeng Qingming Riverside Landscape Destination Reception Center. Agencies included on the list can provide Saudi tourists with three exclusive benefits: visa-free fast-track customs clearance support, an exclusive visa pre-review channel, and joint certification qualifications for MICE events. The list is valid until 2027年3月.

Which Sub-sectors Will Be Affected

Outbound Tourism Service Companies

Reason for impact: the whitelist directly grants destination management agencies the capability to coordinate visas and customs clearance services for Saudi tourists. The impact is mainly reflected in the raised threshold for business qualifications—institutions not on the list will be unable to access the official SCTA pre-review channel and will also find it difficult to undertake official Saudi tour groups or large-scale MICE projects.

MICE Event Organizers

Reason for impact: the newly added 'joint certification qualification for MICE events' is the key incremental element of this policy. The impact is mainly reflected in changes to project access qualifications—only institutions on the whitelist may jointly apply, obtain certification, and execute business exhibitions, incentive travel, and corporate inspection itineraries that meet SCTA standards together with local Saudi conference and incentive service providers.

Cross-border Cultural and Tourism Collaboration Platforms and Resource Providers

Reason for impact: the concentrated selection of Henan destination management agencies reflects SCTA's targeted recognition of Central Plains cultural IPs (such as the ancient capital of Luoyang and the Song-era charm of Kaifeng). The impact is mainly reflected in the adjustment of resource matching priorities—Saudi tour operators, Middle East OTAs, and international MICE buyers may be more inclined to establish long-term content co-creation and route co-operation relationships with institutions on the whitelist.

Visa-related Support Service Companies (including third-party visa centers, translation and notarization services, and insurance service providers)

Reason for impact: 'visa-free fast-track customs clearance support' relies on destination management agencies to complete upfront document verification and itinerary endorsement. The impact is mainly reflected in the restructuring of the service chain—relevant supporting services must adapt to SCTA pre-review process nodes, such as simultaneously adopting SCTA-designated forms and embedding a pre-review reference number tracking mechanism.

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

Pay attention to the subsequent jointly implemented detailed rules by SCTA and China's cultural and tourism authorities

What is currently more worthy of attention is: although the whitelist has been published, the specific operating procedures, document checklist, timeliness commitments, and responsibility boundaries for 'visa-free fast-track customs clearance' have not yet been publicly disclosed. Relevant companies should continue to monitor announcements on the SCTA official website and notices on foreign-related affairs from China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and avoid inferring service scope on their own based solely on the name of the list.

Differentiate between the rhythm difference of 'directory admission' and 'actual business implementation'

From an analytical perspective, the selection of 12 Henan institutions reflects that regional cultural and tourism resources have gained international recognition, but actual growth in the flow of Saudi tourists to Henan still requires supporting conditions such as increased flight frequency, construction of multilingual guided tour systems, and localization of payment and communication services. Companies should not equate the release of the list with immediate order conversion, but should simultaneously assess their own reception capacity and service standardization level.

Review in advance the current client structure and its compatibility with the Saudi market

From an industry perspective, destination management agencies with historical experience in receiving Saudi FIT travelers or religious study groups are more likely to activate the value of this qualification. It is recommended that companies that have not yet developed Middle East business first review data from the past 3 years such as inbound tourist nationality composition, length of stay, and consumption preferences, and identify transferable service modules (such as customized cultural interpretation, halal catering coordination, and prayer space arrangements).

Prepare to participate in SCTA certification training and system integration contingency plans

Observations show that SCTA has previously required whitelist institutions to complete registration on its designated platform, upload electronic itineraries, and return real-time data. Relevant companies should contact their existing Saudi destination management partners or SCTA-authorized training partners in advance to understand the technical requirements for system integration and the certification cycle, and reserve at least 4–6 weeks as an adaptation window.

Editorial Viewpoint / Industry Observation

At present, it is more appropriate to understand this as a qualification expansion clearly aimed at 'service capability building' rather than simple quantitative expansion. By making Henan a key newly added region in this round, SCTA has sent a signal of strengthening the diversified supply of China cultural destinations; however, the effectiveness of the policy depends on the subsequent degree of visa process simplification and the strength of channel promotion on the Saudi side. The industry needs to continue observing quantifiable indicators in the third quarter of 2026, such as the actual number of Saudi tour group applications to China, pre-review approval rates, and average customs clearance time, rather than focusing only on the list itself.

Conclusion: this whitelist update is a crucial step in China-Saudi tourism cooperation from framework consensus toward service implementation, and its industry significance lies in establishing the certification standard for destination services as cross-border tourism infrastructure. At present, it is more appropriate to regard it as an institutional opportunity that requires coordinated response, rather than an immediate business performance variable. Under rational expectations, the value of the qualification will gradually become evident over the next 6–12 months as actual demand from the Saudi market is released.

Source note:
Main source: announcement on the official website of the Saudi Tourism Authority (SCTA) (released on 2026年4月28日)
Areas for continued observation: SCTA's operational guidelines for the pre-review system for Chinese destination management agencies, definition of specific applicable scenarios for visa-free entry, and implementation details of joint MICE certification