Alluring Africa

　　In recent years， the travel industry is onesector that has sustained fast growth momentumdespite the global economic downturn. Theperformance of Africa’s travel industry is especiallyeye-catching. Statistics from the World TourismOrganization (WTO) show that the number of internationalarrivals to Africa grew to 52 million in 2012from 15 million in 1990. The WTO predicts that thisfigure will reach 134 million by 2030.

　　China has fast become a rich tourist sourcemarket for Africa， with more than 1 million Chinesevisiting Africa each year. Chinese touristshave gradually expanded their outbound travel tooverseas destinations in Asia， America， Europe andPacific regions since the 1980s. With growing China-Africa ties， more Chinese are becoming familiarwith destinations in Africa that they once may haveconsidered too exotic to approach.

　　Growth potential

　　Although the current proportion of Chinese tourists

　　is relatively small compared to the population， Chinais a market with a large growth potential.

　　In 2012， the number of Chinese outboundtourists reached 83 million， with overseas spendingof $102 billion. This expenditure accounted for9.5 percent of the global total that year， makingChinese tourists world leaders in international tourismspending.

　　In 2013， the number of Chinese outboundtourists reached 98.2 million and their overseasexpenditure hit $120 billion， an 18 percent and 20percent year-on-year increase respectively. A recentprediction by the China Tourism Academy (CTA)，a professional tourism research institute underthe China National Tourism Administration(CNTA)， states that the number of Chineseoutbound tourists is expected to reach110 million in 2014 and 200 million by2020.

　　African market targeted

　　China-Africa tourism has greatly benefitedfrom increasingly close bilateral ties andcooperation between China and Africancountries. To date， 27 countries on the African continenthave obtained China’s Approved DestinationStatus (ADS). This means that they are destinationcountries Chinese tourists are permitted to travel toin groups.

　　As a continent abundant in pristine naturalscenery， blue skies， clean air and a haven of wildlife，Africa is attracting an increasing number of Chinesetourists annually. WTO statistics show that in 2012about 41，000 Chinese tourists visited Kenya. Duringthe “great wildlife migration” season in June and Julyof 2013， more than 20，000 Chinese tourists camefor the spectacle， with Chinese tourists now makingup the majority of the traditional tour program’sparticipants.

　　The same is true in South Africa where thenumber of Chinese arrivals was 41，900 in 2006 andis estimated to surpass 150，000 in 2013.

　　Many African countries have become interestedin the soaring number of Chinese tourists andthe spending power that accompanies them.

　　In November 2013， Kenya Airways opened itsfirst non-stop air route connecting Nairobi withGuangzhou in south China. The airline plans to openmore routes connecting more Chinese cities withthe country.

　　For its part， Zimbabwe is expanding the airportat the world-wonder Victoria Falls. Local touristauthorities say that when it is completed at the endof 2014， Chinese airlines will be among the firstto be invited to launch non-stop flights. Statisticsfrom the Zimbabwe tourist authority indicate thatthe country received more than 5，000 Chinesetourists in 2012. That number is expectedto increase to more than 50，000 by 2015.To help realize that goal， Zimbabwe willstart by resuming non-stop flights andfacilitating the visa handling process.Air Mauritius opened direct flights toBeijing and Shanghai in 2013， providingnine flights shuttling between the twocountries each week. From January toOctober 2013， Mauritius received morethan 30，000 Chinese tourists.

　　South Africa

　　As a gateway to the continent， SouthAfrica is one of the most well-knowndestinations in Africa for its rich flora and fauna，beautiful natural scenery and mature touristfacilities.

　　In recent years， the number of Chinesetourists to the country has experienced rapidgrowth. According to Bradley Brouwer， RegionalManager Asia Pacific at South African Tourism， in2012， South Africa received 132，334 tourist arrivalsfrom China， a 55.9-percent increase over theprevious year. The average spending of a Chinesetourist in South Africa was $1，782 (excluding airtickets). Since 2012， China has been South Africa’sfourth largest overseas tourist source. FromJanuary to October 2013， Chinese tourist arrivalsto South Africa reached 126，653， an increase of17.1 percent over the same period in 2012.

　　“We believe that South Africa will achieve evenmore remarkable results in 2014，” Brouwer saidof the country’s capability to grow its tourismsector.

　　He attributed the upward trend in tourism toseveral factors including the 2010 World Cuplegacy， South Africa’s joining of BRICS， the enhancementof bilateral relations between Chinaand South Africa and considerable improvementof the brand image and brand awareness ofSouth Africa in China.

　　The establishment of two new visa applicationcenters in Beijing and Shanghai in 2011， andthe launch of non-stop flights between Beijingand Johannesburg by South African Airways havemade travel between the two countries moreconvenient.

　　According to South Africa Tourism， the KrugerNational Park and the Garden Route are the favoritedestinations for Chinese tourists. They arealso interested in safaris， diamond jewelry， golf，wine， cultural activities， adventure travel， RovosRail and the Blue Train tours.

　　Chinese travel agencies offer eight-10 daytours in South Africa or tours extending to Dubaiin the UAE， Egypt， Kenya， Zimbabwe and othercountries.

　　Remaining Challenges

　　Though the number of Chinese tourists comingto Africa continues to increase each year， asa proportion of all outbound Chinese tourists，the total share headed to the continent remainssmall.

　　Some industry insiders point out that thedevelopment of tourism in Africa still faces manychallenges， such as a lack of infrastructure andeffective financing channels. Political crises in someAfrican countries also have an impact on the tourismindustry.

　　In addition， limited and expensive air transportcapacity and access has deterred many touristsfrom coming.

　　Wang Xinjun， CEO of Ivy Alliance Tourism ConsultingCo.， said that Chinese tourists going to Africaare specifically concerned about whether they willhave qualified Chinese speaking tour guides， as wellas safety and security issues. Expensive air ticketsare another obstacle. Though more and moreChinese are choosing to travel on their own， hesuggested that they should join tour groups whenvisiting an unfamiliar destination for the first time.Wang said further promotion is needed to attractmore Chinese tourists， because many Chinese peoplestill don’t know much about Africa.

　　To help improve the outbound travel experience，China’s tourism authority has recently initiated QualityService Certification， which aims at selectingoverseas hotels， restaurants and travel services thatprovide quality service according to strict criteriaand recommending them to Chinese travel agenciesas well as Chinese tourists.