By ndumiso mlilo in Johannesburg | China Daily Global | Updated: 2025-03-06 09:53
Visitors will explore Union buildings in Pretoria, South Africa on April 15th. The statue of Nelson Mandela in front of the president's office has become a popular attraction for tourists. Wang Xi/China News Service
Africa's major tourism nations are striving to gain a greater share of Chinese tourists by making sure they are ready.
“The Chinese market is important to us and we believe they are worth it. We have maintained our Beijing office since 2011. China is our growing market and we have introduced a reliable tour operator scheme to increase visitors from China and India.”
Since February, South Africa has implemented a trusted tour operator scheme (TTO), with the country's tourism bureau reviewing 65 tour operators from South Africa, China and India, processing group visa applications and promoting visa approval. Under the scheme, South Africa has reduced the requirements for tourists from China and India, reducing the visa waiting period to less than two days.
Last year, South Africa attracted more than 41,000 tourists from China. This is an 11% increase from the previous year. Griwe noted that South Africa is pulling all the strings to attract more tourists from China.
She said, “We're “Chinese ready” when it comes to food and signs served at hotels and restaurants, and we trained some of our tour guides to speak the Mandarin. ”
South Africa's Home Minister Leon Schreiber said it will continue to remove obstacles to inbound travel for Chinese visitors and visitors from other countries. He said TTOS is a “game changer” and will increase the volume of tourists from China and India, which will create jobs and boost the economy.
He said, “It was difficult to obtain an approved visa for a group trip to South Africa. At TTOS, tour operators apply one online and adjudicate their results digitally at speed.
South Africa's tourism minister, Patricia de Lille, said many tourists from China have expressed interest in visiting South Africa. She said South Africa intends to increase the number of tour operators on the TTO to 150-200 by December.
James Mwaura, CEO of Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Kenya, said his country has taken several steps to increase the arrival of tourists from China.
Kenya aims to attract 5 million tourists by 2027. Last year, a total of 80,000 tourists from China visited Kenya, a huge increase from 51,000 in 2023.
The author is a freelance journalist in China every day.
