Showcasing the continent

South Africa banks on 'unique experiences' to attract more Chinese tourists

Chinese tourists who want a once-in-a lifetime experience must visit South Africa, says Bradley Brouwer.

The 48-year-old regional manager for the Asia-Pacific at South African Tourism says that with its diverse culture and rich natural attractions, South Africa can offer several unique experiences for the growing number of outbound tourists from China.

"Chinese tourists are of paramount importance to us as the European and the US economies are not doing too well. We are confident that there will be a strong surge in the number of Chinese tourists to our country," he says.

Part of the challenge for that is to make South Africa more appealing to Chinese tourists and also use some of the goodwill gained from the recent soccer World Cup. Brouwer says that unlike the United States or Europe, South Africa is still not that well known as a tourist destination in China.

"South Africa is a nation combining modernity and nature. It is beautiful and amazing," he says. "Our efforts to woo more Chinese tourists have been paying off and we are seeing a steady increase in arrivals."

According to statistics provided by South African Tourism, last year, the number of Chinese tourists (including those from Hong Kong) to South Africa stood at 132,334, a 55.9 percent year-on-year growth, and almost three times that of 2009.

In 2012, 9,188,368 tourists from across the world visited South Africa, with Chinese visitors being the fourth largest overseas tourist group (outside Africa) for South Africa, after the United Kingdom, the US and Germany.

"Although Chinese visitors only constitute about 7 percent of South Africa's overseas visitors (outside Africa), we expect the figure to reach 14 percent by 2015 making Chinese tourists the third-largest overseas visitor group for South Africa by then," Brouwer says.

Brouwer, who has worked in the tourism industry for more than 30 years, visited China for the first time in December 2008. He says Chinese tourists' enthusiasm for traveling to South Africa can also be seen in the increasing number of visitors coming to the South African Tourism office.

"The growing number of visitors coming to us for consultations has prompted us to go in for additional and bigger office space. In addition, we are also planning to recruit another marketing manager in Shanghai," Brouwer says.

He says the confidence in future growth is based on the close and fast-developing cooperation between China and South Africa in various fields, including the economy, culture and politics.

"There is no specific reason to explain the growth in Chinese tourists. South Africa is abundant in many resources, such as wine and diamonds, which is of great appeal to Chinese businesspeople," says Brouwer. "In the past few years, there have been more Chinese people doing business in South Africa, thereby promoting business visits. Since more cooperation between China and South Africa is envisaged in the future, there is scope for more."

Good relations between the two governments are also promoting more tourist inflows, he says. In March, during his visit to South Africa, President Xi Jinping announced that 2014 would be the "South Africa Year" for China.

"President Xi's visit to South Africa has strengthened cooperation between the two nations, and has been a good platform for South Africa to promote its tourism in China," Brouwer says.

To make full use of the opportunities, South Africa has taken several measures, including launching more direct flights from China to South Africa, making the visa application process easier and holding tourism promotion activities to attract more people.

Last year, South African Airways, Africa's largest airline by turnover, launched direct flights from Beijing to Johannesburg, making it more convenient for tourists to visit South Africa.

"Currently the number of direct flights from China to South Africa is just three. It is not enough to meet the increasing demand from Chinese market," he says. "Many airlines including China Airlines are keen on teaming with us to launch more direct flights."

South African Airways is planning to increase the number of direct flights to four per week by September, and is awaiting government approval for the same, Brouwer says.

"More direct flights from China to South Africa means there will be more visitors to our nation and also to other parts of Africa," he says.

As part of its efforts to woo more tourists, South Africa is also planning more promotional activities in China.

In June, South African Tourism held workshops with 46 tourism companies from South Africa and 700 Chinese tourism companies in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Many companies also signed contracts during the workshops, Brouwer says.

The bureau has also roped in many popular Chinese celebrities such as Su Youpeng, a famous Chinese actor and singer, to visit South Africa and also appointed them as brand ambassadors for South African tourism.

Brouwer adds that several obstacles in the visa approval process have been simplified.

"Since the establishment of two visa offices in Beijing and Shanghai in 2011, the visa approval process has been reduced from seven working days to five working days, thereby adding more convenience for visitors," he says.

"Unlike Europe and the United States, tourists in South Africa can enjoy close contact with wild animals. It is an amazing and unforgettable experience for every tourist."

"South Africa also has a very diverse culture, superb beaches, seafood and modern facilities. You can experience modern and traditional South Africa in one day. A lot of tourists are repeat visitors, which further demonstrates our nation's charm."

Zheng Xin contributed to this story.

huhaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 07/26/2013 page8)