THE TRANSFORMATION: TRAVEL TRENDS •
THE JOURNEY IS THE PRODUCT A destination may be compelling, but the booking can still be lost if the journey feels complicated. Travellers now move between social media, AI tools, search engines, online travel agencies, brand platforms and human recommendations. Amadeus describes this blended behaviour as 'Travel Mixology', while its Travel Trends 2026 research records a 64% annual increase in the use of AI for travel. The important development is bigger than the latest planning tool. Travellers expect inspiration, visas, transport, accommodation, payments, local mobility and customer support to work as one journey. Real- time accuracy matters. So do clear disruption updates, intuitive transfers and the ability to move between digital convenience and human help. Saudi is able to build greater integration into a visitor economy that is still being developed. The tourism eVisa, the Riyadh Metro, the Haramain High-Speed Railway, expanding air links and new destination transport systems are individual pieces of a larger opportunity: making a country of continental scale feel easy to navigate. Better connections can encourage visitors to combine Riyadh with Diriyah or Qiddiya, Jeddah with Makkah and Madinah, or AlUla with the Red Sea coast. This expectation also travels outbound. Saudi consumers accustomed to fast digital services at home will increasingly judge international destinations by the same standard, raising the value of Arabic content, mobile-first booking, frictionless payments and responsive family travel support. TRAVEL FOLLOWS THE CALENDAR Sport, concerts, festivals, exhibitions and cultural programming are becoming direct triggers for travel Mastercard Economics Institute's Travel Trends 2025, based on aggregated and anonymised transaction data, demonstrates the economic effect: German visitor spending in London rose 61% year on year around the UEFA Champions League Final, while Spanish spending increased 148%. Japanese visitor spending in Los Angeles surged 91% around Shohei Ohtani's World Series appearance. Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in this attention economy. Formula 1, Riyadh Season, esports, boxing, football, film, music and cultural festivals have introduced the country to audiences who may not have previously considered visiting. Expo 2030 Riyadh, expected to attract more than 42 million visits over six months, and the FIFA World Cup 2034 will extend that reach on a different scale. The strategic play is to turn a date in the calendar into a wider journey. A fan, delegate or concertgoer can become a leisure visitor who stays longer, explores another region and returns with family or friends. Expo can present Riyadh as a global meeting point while creating a lasting cultural and business district. The World Cup can distribute demand across host
THE TWO-WAY CHINA CONNECTION China is emerging as one of Saudi Arabia’s most important source markets, supported by stronger air links, easier group travel and growing demand for cultural experiences. Saudi Arabia received China’s Approved Destination Status in July 2024, allowing it to market group travel directly, while “China-ready” measures include Mandarin airport signage, tailored products and enhanced payment systems. Connectivity is accelerating. Flights between Greater China and Saudi Arabia increased 91% in 2025, with direct services linking Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Haikou. Dragon Trail International identifies Saudi Arabia as one of the fastest-emerging Middle Eastern destinations for Chinese travellers, whose priorities increasingly include independent travel, luxury hospitality, family trips, immersive culture and digitally connected journeys. The opportunity runs both ways. Tourism Economics forecasts Chinese leisure spending in the Middle East will rise around 130% between 2024 and 2030, while Chinese destinations including Shanghai, Haikou (Hainan), Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are actively targeting high- yield Saudi travellers through expanded flight networks, streamlined visa policies, and tailored marketing campaigns.
Above: Guangzhou is one city actively tar- geting high- yield Saudi travellers
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