The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) updated the "Approved Chinese Tourism Service Providers List" on April 22, 2026, and for the first time included 17 local destination management agencies from the three cities of Luoyang, Anyang, and Kaifeng in Henan in the cooperative whitelist for electronic pre-screening of Chinese group visas to Saudi Arabia. This adjustment directly affects operators of cultural-themed tour routes targeting the Middle East market within the outbound tourism service industry chain, especially with regard to the efficiency of transforming Central Plains cultural resources and the certainty of cross-border service delivery.

Event Overview

On April 22, 2026, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) officially updated the "Approved Chinese Tourism Service Providers List" (Certified Directory of Chinese Cultural and Tourism Service Providers), adding qualification certification channels for a total of 17 local travel agencies in Luoyang, Anyang, and Kaifeng, Henan Province. After obtaining authorization, these institutions may directly submit electronic visa pre-screening materials for Chinese group tourists traveling to Saudi Arabia, thereby shortening the visa pre-screening cycle to within 72 hours.

Which market segments are affected

Outbound travel agencies (including tour organizers and local destination agencies)

The inclusion of local destination agencies from Luoyang, Anyang, and Kaifeng in the whitelist means that they are legally qualified to submit group visa pre-screening materials directly to the Saudi tourism authorities. The impact is mainly reflected in the following aspects: first, the service chain is shortened, eliminating the transfer process through third-party visa service agencies; second, Central Plains cultural routes (such as the "Yinxu—Longmen Grottoes—Qingming Riverside Garden" itinerary) can improve response speed and performance reliability on the Saudi B2B procurement side; third, small and medium-sized local destination agencies have, for the first time, obtained an official service access point for the Middle East market.

Cross-border tourism product design and distribution enterprises

Tourism wholesalers, online travel platforms (OTA), MICE service providers, and others targeting the Saudi and Gulf markets may rely on the newly added whitelist institutions to quickly package standardized Central Plains cultural-themed product bundles with visa support included. The impact is mainly reflected in the following aspects: product delivery cycles are compressed from the original average of 5–7 working days to within 3 days; visa approval rates and itinerary certainty are enhanced, helping increase the purchasing intention and repurchase frequency of Middle Eastern channel partners.

Cultural tourism content planners and local service integrators

For enterprises that provide extended services in the Central Plains region, such as multilingual guided tours, cultural interpretation, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and customized reception services, business dependency is strengthened. The impact is mainly reflected in the following aspects: whitelist qualification becomes one of the key thresholds for Saudi market partners when selecting local service partners; if non-certified institutions do not establish stable cooperative relationships with whitelist local destination agencies, they will find it difficult to enter the visa collaboration closed loop, indirectly affecting their ability to obtain service orders.

What key points should relevant enterprises or practitioners pay attention to, and how should they respond at present

Pay attention to SCTA's follow-up dynamic management mechanism for whitelist institutions

At present, only the first batch of 17 local destination agencies has been confirmed for admission, but SCTA has not publicly clarified the qualification validity period, annual review standards, or exit conditions. Relevant enterprises need to continuously track updates released on the official SCTA website and by the Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in Saudi Arabia to avoid disruptions to already contracted group itineraries due to changes in qualification status.

Distinguish between policy signals and the actual pace of business implementation

The opening of the whitelist does not mean an immediate formation of large-scale outbound group volumes. What is more worth watching at present is whether Saudi local travel agencies (such as Al Tayyar and Seera Group) have started system integration testing, contract signing, and first-group trial operation arrangements with the newly listed local destination agencies. It is recommended that enterprises that have not yet established Middle East channels temporarily refrain from launching products on a large scale and prioritize completing small-scale validation cooperation.

Sort out in advance the list of materials required for visa pre-screening and adapt internal processes

According to SCTA's current requirements, electronic pre-screening requires the submission of group itineraries, hotel booking orders, airline ticket confirmation letters, scanned copies of tourists' passports, health declarations, and other materials. Relevant local destination agencies need to verify whether their existing operating procedures meet technical specifications such as data formats, multilingual labeling, and timing nodes, and where necessary, carry out adaptation training for internal systems or personnel.

Assess the coordinated response capability with local cultural resource providers in advance

After the visa processing cycle is shortened, the preparation window for local services before group arrival is synchronously narrowed. Links involving museum reservations, scheduling of intangible cultural heritage workshops, and roster arrangements for ancient architecture guides require establishing closer real-time coordination mechanisms with scenic areas, cultural heritage protection units, and inheritors of intangible cultural heritage to ensure seamless on-the-ground execution after "72-hour pre-screening approval."

Editorial Viewpoint / Industry Observation

From an analytical perspective, this expansion of the whitelist is better understood as a phased measure by Saudi Arabia to promote tiered market access for China's cultural and tourism market, rather than a signal of full opening. Its core value lies in verifying the feasibility of the dual elements of "regional cultural IP + local service qualifications" within the Middle Eastern visa cooperation system. From an observational perspective, SCTA chose major Central Plains cultural cities rather than first-tier tourism cities for the first round of expansion, which may indicate an intention to test the service reception capability and international expression adaptability of historically and culturally oriented destinations. From an industry perspective, although this adjustment has not yet brought about large-scale visitor inflows, it has substantively lowered the institutional threshold for cultural and tourism service entities in the Central Plains region to participate in competition in the Middle East market; the industry still needs to continue monitoring whether supporting incentive policies will follow, such as joint marketing support from the Saudi side and expansion of visa green channels.

Conclusion: This whitelist update is not an isolated policy move, but an important node in establishing an institutionalized connection between cultural resources in China's Central Plains and the inbound tourism service system of the Middle East. At present, it is more appropriate to understand it as a practical starting point for the "opening of a service interface" rather than a precursor sign of market explosion. All parties in the industry should pragmatically advance system integration, process alignment, and channel validation, and avoid simply equating qualification acquisition with business growth.

Source note:
Main source: Official announcement on the SCTA website, "Approved Chinese Tourism Service Providers List" (updated version dated April 22, 2026)
Items requiring continued observation: SCTA's detailed rules for dynamic management of whitelist institutions, actual cooperation progress of Saudi local buyers, approval rate of the first batch of group visa pre-screening applications, and average processing time data