Middle East Emerges as Preferred Travel Destination for Affluent Chinese

Over 20 percent of Chinese millionaires plan to visit the Middle East in the next 12 months, according to the latest TrendLens report from luxury consulting firm Agility. The report analyzed the survey responses of 315 affluent and 216 high net-worth individuals in China in March and April this year. Those planning overseas leisure trips jumped from 50 percent in 2022 to 75 percent this year. High net-worth individuals expressed a preference for buying beauty, alcohol, watch, and jewelry products abroad in search of better deals. China’s high net-worth individuals and affluent consumers are more confident about their disposable income and investments, and spending on luxury products and experiences like tourism, according to the report. Having welcomed 989,000 Chinese tourists, China was Dubai's fifth-largest source market in 2019. When Saudi Arabia opened to tourism in 2019, the maximum number of tourist visas issued were to Chinese tourists. More than 100,000 Chinese touri