S. Africa taking steps to get more tourists from China

Major tourism destination countries in Africa are making efforts to get a bigger share of Chinese tourists by ensuring they are ready.

"The Chinese market is important for us and we see value in them. We have maintained our office in Beijing since 2011. China is a growth market for us and we have put in place a trusted tour operator scheme to increase visitors from China and India," said Nombulelo Guliwe, CEO of South African Tourism.

Since February, South Africa has implemented the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme, or TTOS, wherein the tourism authority of the country vetted and selected 65 tour operators from South Africa, China and India to handle group visa applications and expedite visa approval. Under the scheme, South Africa reduced some requirements for tourists from China and India and cut the visa waiting period to less than two days.

Last year, South Africa received more than 41,000 tourists from China — which is an 11 percent increase from the previous year. Guliwe pointed out that South Africa is pulling all the strings to attract more tourists from China.

She said, "We are 'China ready' in terms of cuisine served in our hotels and restaurants, signage and we have trained some of our tour guides to speak Mandarin."

Leon Schreiber, South Africa's minister of home affairs, said that they will continue to remove impediments to inbound travel for Chinese visitors and those from other countries. He said the TTOS is a "game changer "that will result in an increase in the volume of tourists from China and India, thereby creating jobs and boosting the economy.

He said, "It has been difficult to get visas for group travel to South Africa approved. Under the TTOS, tour operators apply one online and we digitally adjudicate those outcomes with speed. This is just the beginning, and we will very soon deliver electronic travel authorization for visas across the board."

Patricia De Lille, the South African minister of tourism, said that many tourists from China have expressed interest in visiting South Africa. She said South Africa intends to increase the number of tour operators in the TTOS to 150-200 by December to facilitate more travelers.

James Mwaura, CEO of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Kenya, said his country has put in place some measures to increase tourist arrivals from China.

Kenya aims to get 5 million tourists by 2027. A total of 80,000 tourists visited Kenya from China last year, a substantial increase from 51,000 in 2023.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.