(Yicai) June 26 -- Enquiries about package tours to Saudi Arabia more than doubled on Chinese travel agency Ctrip.com’s online and offline channels today from a month earlier after state broadcaster CCTV News reported that China has granted Saudi Arabia Approved Destination Status for group tours from July 1.

The number of Chinese visitors to Saudi Arabia is likely to surge after July 1, Ctrip said. In preparation, the Shanghai-based firm is trying to team up with Chinese and foreign tour operators to introduce excellent guided tours to Saudi Arabia and link them with neighboring countries, including Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

Bookings by Chinese tourists to Saudi Arabia over the summer months have almost quadrupled from a year earlier, making it the fastest growing outbound destination, according to Ctrip data.

Saudi Arabia plans to attract 5 million Chinese tourists by 2030, which would make China its third-largest source of international tourists.

The Kingdom’s tourism authority has linked arms with six Chinese travel agencies, including Tongcheng, Ctrip and Jinjiang, to provide tours to the Middle Eastern nation with prices starting at around CNY23,000 (USD3,167), China Economic Net reported earlier this month, citing Alhasan Aldabbagh, president of the Asia-Pacific Market of the Saudi Tourism Authority at the China International Tourism Mart.

“Hotel operator Huazhu Hotels Group has already entered Saudi Arabia, and you will see more and more Chinese brands in the Kingdom in the future,” Aldabbagh said.

In April, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines added direct flights from Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai to Riyadh. And Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s new flagship airline that is expected to start operations next year, reached agreements with China Eastern Airlines and Air China earlier this month to give Chinese carriers priority.

Editor: Kim Taylor