The Saudi Tourism Authority (SCTA) updated the "Approved Chinese Inbound Travel Agencies for Visa Sponsorship" list on April 26, 2026, adding 12 local destination management agencies in Luoyang, Anyang, and Kaifeng of Henan that obtained 'Saudi e-visa direct connection authorization qualification'. This adjustment directly affects enterprises related to outbound tourism services, cross-border visa cooperation, and the regional culture and tourism supply chain, marking a further local-level implementation of China-Saudi tourism facilitation.

Event Overview

On April 26, 2026, the Saudi Tourism Authority (SCTA) officially updated the "Approved Chinese Inbound Travel Agencies for Visa Sponsorship" (list of Chinese inbound travel agencies qualified for visa sponsorship), adding 12 local travel agencies in Luoyang, Anyang, and Kaifeng, Henan Province, including Henan Le Travel Agency Co., Ltd. These institutions were granted 'Saudi e-visa direct connection authorization qualification' and may independently generate Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) pre-approval codes for Chinese tourists traveling to Saudi Arabia, as well as complete itinerary binding operations, thereby shortening visa processing time to within 72 hours.

Which market segments are affected

Outbound tourism service enterprises

The authorized local agencies themselves fall into this category. After obtaining direct connection qualification, they can complete ETA generation and itinerary binding without routing through a head office or third-party platform, improving business response efficiency and shortening the customer conversion path. The impact is mainly reflected in stronger autonomy in service processes, official recognition of localized reception capabilities, and a possible increase in bargaining power in cross-regional industry cooperation.

Regional culture and tourism operations and promotion institutions

Luoyang, Anyang, and Kaifeng are all nationally recognized historical and cultural cities. Their inclusion this time reflects SCTA's recognition of the Central Plains' cultural resources and their compatibility with international tourism. Local culture and tourism bureaus, scenic area management companies, intangible cultural heritage exhibition units, and similar entities will find it easier to access Saudi tourist source channels. The impact is reflected in: increased demand for promotional materials targeting the Middle East market, the need to adapt multilingual guided tour and reception standards simultaneously, and more practical opportunities to jointly design themed routes with local agencies.

Cross-border visa technology service providers

For technical service providers currently capable of integrating with the Saudi ETA system, their client base is expanding from existing leading group tour operators to mid-sized local destination agencies. The impact is mainly reflected in: higher requirements for API call frequency and stability, emerging demand for lightweight SaaS tools for small and medium-sized institutions, and the need for system compatibility testing to cover more localized itinerary formats.

What should relevant enterprises or practitioners focus on, and how should they respond at present

Pay attention to whether SCTA will open a second batch of supplementary local listings

This round covers only three cities in Henan, but SCTA has continuously expanded the whitelist in batches in recent years. What deserves more attention now is whether a new qualification application window will open in the second half of 2026, especially developments among local agencies in neighboring provinces such as Shaanxi and Shanxi.

Distinguish the business gap between 'qualification approval' and 'actual visa issuance volume'

Obtaining authorization does not mean automatically obtaining customer traffic. Relevant local agencies need to simultaneously verify their listing status on major Saudi OTA platforms (such as Saudia Holidays and Almosafer), the completeness of Arabic product pages, and whether local payment and change/refund mechanisms are ready, so as to avoid idle qualifications.

Verify in advance the consistency between itinerary data fields and the latest requirements of the SCTA system

According to the publicly available SCTA technical documentation, from 2026 onward, the itinerary used for ETA binding must include dynamic location coordinates (GPS), hotel booking order numbers (including Saudi MOI certification numbers), and daily transportation mode codes. Local agencies that have not yet completed system upgrades should complete field mapping tests before the end of June.

Establish a targeted liaison mechanism with licensed Saudi group tour operators

Saudi domestic group tour operators with visa submission qualifications (such as Al Rashed Travel and Takamul Travel) are the actual cooperation partners of Chinese local agencies. At present, it is more appropriate to understand qualification as an entry threshold, while stable cooperation must be based on joint verification by both parties in areas such as flight connections, insurance coverage, and emergency response. It is recommended to prioritize small-batch joint test tour operations.

Editor's View / Industry Observation

From an analytical perspective, this whitelist update is not an isolated policy move, but a phased implementation of SCTA's "2025–2027 China Partner Program"—its core logic is shifting from "centrally authorizing leading institutions" to "empowering regional service nodes in tiers". From an observational point of view, it is more like a clear signal: Saudi Arabia is extending visa facilitation from the channel end (group tour operators) to the execution end (local agencies), in support of its plan to raise the target number of Chinese tourists to 500,000 by 2026. From an industry perspective, this suggests that practitioners should not only focus on "who made it onto the list", but also assess "whether local service capabilities can absorb the changes in customer flow structure after faster visa processing", such as the new requirements arising from a higher proportion of independent travelers for instant response, fragmented bookings, and multilingual customer service.

Conclusion
This adjustment is a routine iteration in the process of adapting Saudi Arabia's tourism visa system to the Chinese market, and its industry significance lies in strengthening the functional positioning of prefecture-level culture and tourism service entities in the international tourism chain. At present, it is more appropriate to view it as a structural preparation move rather than a signal of an immediate surge in visitor traffic; relevant enterprises should take "capability alignment" as the guiding principle, focusing on system integration, compliance verification, and partner co-development, rather than simply pursuing broader qualification coverage.

Source note
Main source: the April 26, 2026 updated edition of the "Approved Chinese Inbound Travel Agencies for Visa Sponsorship" list published on the official website of the Saudi Tourism Authority (SCTA).
Items pending continued observation: whether SCTA will release the supporting "Local Agency ETA Operation Guide V2.1" and technical interface change announcement in the third quarter of 2026.