SHANGHAI, CHINA – Saudi Tourism Authority has partnered with F5 Shanghai to launch a China-focused communication campaign, anchored by the brand film “沙特，奇遇阿拉伯” (“Saudi, Immerse Your Soul in Arabia”). The campaign supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 tourism ambitions—especially the goal of attracting 5 million Chinese visitors annually by 2030. It addresses a key market reality: while Saudi Arabia is widely “known” through news narratives, it remains largely “unknown” as a personal travel choice for most Chinese consumers.
To break through, the campaign casts a 7-year-old Chinese girl as the narrator and “witness,” creating clear differentiation from competing destinations that typically rely on adult traveler perspectives and influencer-led lifestyle storytelling. The child’s point of view delivers three communication advantages:
- Disarming familiarity: Innocence filters out political complexity and softens cultural distance.
- Emotional translation: Imagination turns heritage and futurism into a dreamlike storybook—ancient tombs become “older than grandpa’s grandpa,” city lights become a “giant kaleidoscope,” and Red Sea resorts resemble “spaceships.”
- Audience fit: Family travel is naturally coded as safe, premium, and meaningful—well matched to Saudi’s high-spend target segment.
Rather than positioning Saudi Arabia as “luxury” or “adventure” alone, the campaign defines the destination through QI YU (奇遇)—an encounter with the unexpected. The idea spans both ends of Saudi’s offering: the mystery of ancient civilizations and the awe of future-facing mega projects. In communication terms, QI YU functions as a memorable hook, a scalable platform for content extension, and a premium travel trigger aligned with Chinese consumers’ growing appetite for smaller crowds, deeper experiences, and emotional resonance.
