Table Mountain, Kruger National Park, spring wildflower bloom at Goegap Nature Reserve, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, Amphitheatre…  

South African Ambassador to China Siyabonga Cwele excitedly listed the tourist attractions worth visiting in South Africa during an event held by South African Tourism (SAT) in Beijing on 9 September.  

The event was part of a series of roadshows by South Africa’s provincial tourism bureaus and 45 exhibitors held in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to attract more Chinese tourists.  

It is reported that the number of Chinese tourists travelling to South Africa has recovered to 60 percent of the pre-pandemic level in 2019. “We expect that by 2026, the Chinese market will fully recover to the 2019 level,” said Lisa Hu, China trade relations manager at SAT. “China is one of the most promising markets in the Asia-Pacific region, and we are full of confidence in this market.”

Abundant attractions 

South Africa has rich tourism resources and is famous for its long coastline, vast national parks, wild animals and African customs. In addition, in 2024, SAT said it will focus on promoting new experience destinations, study tours and ecological protection tours, and local ethnic culture in the Chinese market.  

“All our communities are always opening their arms particularly to Chinese tourists because they also love your culture and they like to interact with the Chinese,” Cwele said in an interview with ChinAfrica. He further noted that South Africa is also promoting its sports tourism and medical tourism with highly advanced medical treatments at affordable prices. 

South Africa saw a surge in international travellers in 2023, according to official statistics from the country. Among them, 37,000 were Chinese, marking a year-on-year increase of 205.5 percent. From January to March 2024, the number of Chinese tourists entering South Africa increased by 82 percent. 

Cwele said the country not only welcomes tourists but also investors. There are a lot of tourism areas which are being developed and need investment. Chinese investors have many opportunities in South Africa. 

The ambassador said that Chinese businesspeople could invest in the real economy such as local natural reserves and service facilities including hotels. With the increasing number of international visitors to South Africa, facilities backed by Chinese companies can generate revenue for local government and create jobs, he said.

Optimised policies 

China’s travel industry statistics for the recently ended summer holiday period, from early July to late August, show a healthy growth in outbound tourism. Flight bookings from China to Africa for the period more than doubled year on year, with the top destinations being Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa, according to booking website Qunar. 

Although South Africa is located at the southernmost tip of Africa and has limited air capacity, flights from China to South Africa have gradually resumed. According to SAT, Air China at the Shenzhen port has resumed its pre-pandemic capacity of three flights per week, with a flight time of about 13 hours. Cathay Pacific has also resumed three direct flights per week from Hong Kong to Johannesburg, providing 8,000 seats per month. Overall, airline capacity will increase by 57 percent year on year in 2024, with 131,832 available seats to South Africa.  

South Africa’s visa policy towards China will also be further optimised. Cwele mentioned that at the 2024 China-South Africa Economic and Trade Forum, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the visa system reform will be deepened to attract more Chinese tourists and investors to South Africa. In this regard, he also noted that South Africa is actively working on visa relaxation measures for Chinese citizens, simplifying procedures and promoting tourist growth, which fully reflects South Africa’s firm determination to optimise the visa policy for Chinese tourists. 

The South African tourism industry is also getting a big boost from infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and Chinese companies are the first to be considered as cooperation partners because of good bilateral relations.  

“The roads we are building under the BRI are connecting the most remote and exciting areas of South Africa,” said Cwele, noting that they will take tourists from China and the world to more tourism sites.

Bright prospects 

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa. The two countries have increasingly close cooperation in politics, economy, culture and other fields, and the tourism industry has also benefitted from it. Cwele said that during the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Ramaphosa visited China, and the two sides upgraded their bilateral relations to an all-round strategic cooperative partnership in the new era, which will have a far-reaching and positive impact on the economic exchanges and people-to-people exchanges between China and South Africa, especially in the fields of tourism and culture. 

China plays an important role in South Africa’s infrastructure construction, which is crucial to the development of local tourism. “The improvement of transportation methods has enabled more Chinese tourists to go to more remote places and visit these famous tourist destinations, which will also bring better experiences to tourists,” Cwele added. 

In addition, under a FOCAC agreement, South Africa can cooperate with Chinese companies to offer navigation services, bringing Chinese tourists a more convenient travel experience. The ambassador also stressed that technology cooperation with China in areas such as instant digital payment tools will facilitate the country’s tourism development. Chinese visitors whose smartphones are equipped with the Alipay app can scan Zapper QR codes at any of the stores to pay. 

 “We have prioritised the development of tourism and are committed to increasing the number of Chinese tourists visiting South Africa,” Cwele said, adding that South Africa is ready to welcome more international tourists and looks forward to further cooperation with the Chinese tourism industry.

 African Times published this article in partnership with ChinAfrica Magazine