Ajman has quietly made one of its boldest tourism moves yet, and it is aimed squarely at the country that sends more travellers abroad than almost anywhere else on earth.
The Ajman Department of Tourism, Culture and Media (ADTCM) has appointed Hunan Overseas Travel Co., Ltd. as its official representative office in China. In plain terms, Ajman now has boots on the ground in one of the world’s largest outbound tourism markets, working full time to put the emirate in front of Chinese travellers.
If you live here, you already know Ajman punches well above its size. The Corniche at sunset, the fort turned museum, the mountain air up in Masfout. Now the plan is to make sure travellers in Changsha and beyond know it too.
What the new office will actually do
This is not a ribbon-cutting and a handshake. Under the agreement, the representative office takes on a full marketing programme inside China, including running Ajman’s digital platforms for a Chinese audience, producing tourism content in Chinese, delivering marketing campaigns and coordinating directly with travel agencies and tour operators.
The deal was signed by His Excellency Mahmood Khaleel Alhashmi, Director General of ADTCM, and Ms. Xiong Lian, General Manager of Hunan Overseas Travel Co., Ltd.
It also follows a recent promotional roadshow the department ran across China, a series of meetings with major tour operators and travel companies. Think of the office as the follow-through: the roadshow opened the doors, this keeps them open year round.
Why China, and why now
His Excellency Mahmood Khaleel Alhashmi framed it as a milestone in expanding Ajman’s reach into priority markets. “The appointment of our representative office in the People’s Republic of China builds on the positive outcomes of our recent promotional roadshow, during which we witnessed growing interest in Ajman and its distinctive tourism and cultural attractions,” he said.
He added that the goal is a sustainable presence in the market, not a one-off push: “We look forward to establishing a sustainable presence in the Chinese market, strengthening collaboration with our partners, and delivering innovative campaigns and initiatives that showcase the Emirate’s unique identity.”
Ms. Xiong Lian, for her part, called the emirate a natural fit. “We are honoured to have been appointed as the representative office of the Ajman Department of Tourism, Culture and Media in the People’s Republic of China,” she said, pointing to the company’s network and experience to introduce Ajman to Chinese travellers and build partnerships with travel firms.
Who is Hunan Overseas Travel
Not a small player. Based in Hunan Province, the company is among the top five tourism companies in China, with more than 100 branches and 32 subsidiaries. It brings a ready-made network of agencies, operators and campaign experience across China and beyond, which is exactly the kind of reach a smaller emirate needs to compete for attention.
The bigger picture
For residents, this is a sign of where Ajman is heading. More international visitors means more investment in the hotels, dining and attractions that make the emirate worth staying in, not just passing through. And if you have friends or family thinking of visiting, the emirate is clearly betting big on being ready for them.
If you are still discovering Ajman yourself, our guide to the best things to do in Ajman for first-time visitors is a good place to start, along with the Ajman Corniche guide and the complete guide to Masfout if you want to trade the beach for the mountains.
