Waiting for the crowds

African nations must add more Chinese services to attract tourists

Despite the steady influx of Chinese visitors, Africa still lags in infrastructure construction, especially in terms of providing services in Chinese for the Chinese visitors.

"Most of the Chinese tourists who head to Africa are not that well-versed in English," says Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, a tourism think tank promoting the development and international exchange of the Chinese tourism industry.

"Unlike Europe and the United States, where there are lots of Chinese tourist guides and signs written in Chinese, it is rare to see Chinese signs in Africa. The language barrier deters many Chinese customers from visiting the continent," Dai says.

He says that most of the African countries have failed to take adequate steps to woo Chinese tourists.

"Because of the lack of attention, there is a shortage of Chinese signs and tourist guides. As a result, many Chinese tourists prefer to stay away. It is a vicious circle," Dai says.

He suggests that African nations need to build more Chinese signs especially in hotels and airports. At the same time, Dai feels that it is equally important for African nations to train more talents who can speak Chinese.

"With the steady increase in the number of Chinese visitors, there is also a growing need for service personnel who can speak Chinese in the shopping centers and scenic spots," Dai says.

Huang Yimin, the founder and general manager of Beijing Feimay International Travel Service Co Ltd says tourist guides who can speak Chinese are in short supply in Africa.

"We are often confronted with the challenge of finding enough tourist guides who can communicate in Chinese when we take Chinese tourists to Africa," says Huang. "It is worse in the underdeveloped areas of Africa. It is practically impossible to find tourist guides who can provide services in Chinese and this hugely limits our business development."

Huang says he plans to send more tourist guides from Beijing to Africa to make up for the shortage.

Yuan Wei, founder and general manager of Walk Through Africa Tours, says utilizing the services of Chinese residents already in Africa could be a solution to the shortage of tourist guides.

"According to current estimates, nearly 300,000 Chinese people live in South Africa, Many of them can get tourist guide certification and become tourist guides by passing some exams," Yuan says. "This can solve the shortage issue somewhat."

Li Hewei, manager of the marketing department for Africa and Middle East Tourism at Hua Yuan International Travel, says there have been improvements in this aspect.

"Take South Africa for instance. It has become convenient for shopping now as airports, tourist attractions and major consumer venues provide UnionPay credit card payment services," Li says. "We can even find Chinese language on South Africa's tax rebate website. Tourism in Africa is currently at a primary stage and there is huge potential for further development."

Dai suggests that African nations can attract more Chinese media to enter the market to ease the language barrier.

"Let's imagine if there are some Chinese newspapers and television programs in African hotels, and some Chinese magazines that can introduce the local scenic spots," says Dai. "This will definitely make the Chinese tourist feel more at home."

Contact the writers at zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn and huhaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn

Chen Yingqun contributed to the story

(China Daily Africa Weekly 07/26/2013 page7)