Saudi Tourism Authority partners with F5 Shanghai to attract Chinese visitors with new “Immerse Your Soul in Arabia” campaign

The Saudi Tourism Authority has launched a new China-focused communication campaign, “Saudi, Immerse Your Soul in Arabia”, created by F5 Shanghai. The campaign supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 tourism ambitions, particularly its goal of attracting five million Chinese visitors annually by 2030. It responds to a key market insight: while Saudi Arabia is widely known to Chinese audiences through news narratives, it remains largely unknown as a personal travel destination 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.

Translation: Saudi, Immerse Your Soul in Arabia.

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.

Credits
Agency: F5 Shanghai
Chief Creative Officer: Adams Fan
Business Director: Elva Wang
Senior Copywriter: Olivia Chen
Designer: Tianyi Sheng
Production Company: BIG KAHUNA FILMS
Director: Tommi Berte
Director of Photography: Ziga Zupancic
Production Designer: Lionel Soria
Editor: David Zavadescu
Composer: Daniele De Virgilio
Colorist: Max Baule
Executive Producer: Chady El Khal