The China Visitors Summit (CVS), the largest-ever congregation of Chinese travel industry professionals held outside China, was recently staged across Al Ain and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Bringing together around 160 leading Chinese travel buyers, the event featured high-profile attendees from travel agencies, tour operators, luxury wholesalers, MICE specialists, and corporate travel management firms. They met directly with UAE’s premier tourism suppliers, including hotels, attractions, destinations, inbound operators, shopping hubs, and cultural institutions.
The Rotana Hotel and Conference Centre in Al Ain served as the summit’s base, where over 3,000 pre-scheduled meetings took place across two busy days. Collectively, the Chinese buyers represented nearly $1 billion in annual outbound travel business, equivalent to over 1.5 million international travellers, with growing interest in the UAE and wider GCC region.
China’s dominance in global tourism is underscored by its 200 million passport holders and nearly 200 million international trips undertaken in the last year. With annual overseas spending exceeding $300 billion, Chinese travellers are shaping strategies for tourism boards and businesses worldwide.
The summit’s structure allowed UAE suppliers to select the buyers they wanted to engage with, ensuring targeted opportunities across key sectors, from luxury FIT holidays to corporate MICE travel.
“The China Visitors Summit is not just about meetings – it’s about building long-term partnerships between the UAE and China’s most powerful travel industry leaders,” said Alexander Glos, CEO of the China i2i Group, organiser of the event. “Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE are now firmly positioned as must-visit destinations for Chinese travellers, and the CVS provides the direct access, insights, and opportunities that suppliers need to succeed in this market.”
