Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Tourism Authority and Shanghai-based financial firm UnionPay have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at boosting the number of Chinese visitors to Saudi Arabia.

Under the agreement, the Chinese state-owned financial services company will facilitate payment operations within the Kingdom for UnionPay card holders, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The deal forms part of the authority’s ongoing drive to attract more foreign tourists to Saudi Arabia while also promoting tourism destinations and experiences in the country.

Authority chief executive officer, Fahd Hamidaddin, said the linkup with UnionPay was an important step toward the Kingdom becoming a popular tourist destination for visitors from China.