Petal Ads (Huawei Mobile Services) and EternityX Release Data-Driven Report Revealing a $1 Trillion Investment Opportunity Between China and the Gulf Region

📍 Riyadh – BETH

Petal Ads, the advertising platform under Huawei Mobile Services, in collaboration with EternityX, Huawei’s certified partner in the Middle East and North Africa and an AI-powered marketing platform, have jointly released a new report titled “The New Gulf Horizon: Engaging Chinese High-Net-Worth Travelers Across the GCC.”

The report highlights a $1 trillion economic opportunity for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to leverage the purchasing power of Chinese travelers and investors across sectors including tourism, investment, and luxury goods. This strategic collaboration aims to bridge the Middle East and Africa with China’s vibrant advertising ecosystem through precise audience targeting—attracting both Chinese tourists and investors to the region.

The report builds on Huawei’s global ecosystem of over 730 million users, and PilotX, EternityX’s AI platform powered by 9.6 trillion behavioral data points, to provide a data-driven roadmap unlocking new growth frontiers.

Through this initiative, Petal Ads seeks to foster strong regional ties and equip Middle Eastern and African businesses with the tools and insights needed to reach target audiences and achieve measurable outcomes. At the same time, the platform serves as a strategic bridge enabling Chinese investors to explore opportunities aligned with their investment goals in GCC markets.

William Hu, Managing Director of Huawei Consumer Business Group for the Middle East and Africa, said:

“Huawei connects more than 90 million users in the region through AppGallery, Huawei Browser, and Huawei Music. Our partnership with EternityX empowers brands to transform user engagement into measurable growth.”

Chinese Outbound Travel Boom: A New Growth Engine for the GCC

In 2024, 145 million Chinese travelers went abroad, spending a total of $805 billion globally, with the Middle East capturing less than 10% of that share. Meanwhile, Chinese outbound investment reached $192.2 billion, with a growing focus on sectors aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 and the UAE’s economic diversification goals.

A Data-Driven Roadmap

The report outlines three urgent steps for GCC institutions and destinations to achieve measurable returns:

Unified Messaging and Market Access – Align tourism and investment narratives for an integrated targeting strategy.

Localized Engagement – Use simplified Chinese and trusted local platforms to build credibility.

Targeting the New Affluent Class – Engage younger, self-made Chinese millionaires—including an increasing proportion of women—through personalized, mobile-first campaigns.

Derek Wong, Chief Business Officer at EternityX, commented:

“This report is a strategic roadmap built on real data. By analyzing the digital signals of China’s most influential audiences, Gulf brands can shift from mere visibility to sustainable growth for the next decade.”

From Vision to Execution: Accelerating GCC Success

The report identifies five key steps for Gulf brands to transform insights into performance:

Targeted Media – Engage consumers across every stage of their journey.

Cultural Precision – Build trust through authentic, localized storytelling.

Unified Messaging – Integrate tourism, lifestyle, and investment under one cohesive framework.

Women Empowerment – Focus on financially independent Chinese women.

Seamless Experience – Expand payment integration and service accessibility.

Iris Guan, Managing Director of EternityX Middle East, stated:

“This is the right moment for the Middle East to take the lead. Through Huawei’s ecosystem and EternityX’s intelligent solutions, we’re helping brands move from awareness to action.”

This vision is powered by Petal Ads’ Demand-Side Platform (DSP), Huawei’s exclusive ad inventory, and a robust Data Management Platform (DMP). By leveraging first-party data, this technology enables precise targeting and performance optimization, driving growth, innovation, and connectivity between the Middle East, Africa, and China—empowering brands to achieve measurable global success.

For the full report, please [click here to download].