South Africa's Minister of Tourism, Patricia Delilé
With the launch of the route from Beijing to Johannesburg in February 2023, the number of Chinese tourists in South Africa will probably exceed 2,2 between February and September, so the potential is very clear.
At the beginning of 2023, South Africa became one of the first countries to pilot the resumption of outbound group tourism. In the face of China's tourism market, which has undergone great changes in tourist demand and product supply in the past three years, is South Africa ready? On November 3, at the 11 Beijing Seminar of the South African Ministry of Tourism, Patricia Delille, Minister of Tourism of South Africa, happily shared with reporters the changes in the past six months.
South Africa's Minister of Tourism, Patricia Delilé
At the moment, there are also many flights in the Pacific Rim that have resumed, so we are very confident that we will increase that number. We also came to listen to the opinions of tourism practitioners and Chinese technology companies, to find out what else South Africa has to offer, what they expect from us, and what are the needs of Chinese tourists, so that we can launch a variety of customized and diversified tourism solutions.
In recent years, the South African tourism department has developed a variety of special tourism products according to the preferences of Chinese tourists, hoping to bring them an unforgettable trip to South Africa.
South Africa's Minister of Tourism, Patricia Delilé
One of the characteristics we found of Chinese tourists is that they like to travel in groups, with grandparents, parents and children in a group. That's why we've launched different packages for you to choose from. What are some of the top places for Chinese tourists in South Africa? For example, when they land in South Africa, they usually go to Johannesburg first, and they go to the top five tourist destinations to see the wildlife, and then they may go to Cape Town. We are currently making sure that when Chinese tourists arrive in Cape Town, they can travel by car along the Golden Route, with beautiful beaches and fair prices.
The year 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa. Delilai said that China has always been one of the main sources of tourism in South Africa, and it is very important for the development of South Africa's tourism industry. The South African Ministry of Tourism is speeding up the development of more new tourism products, and has communicated and collaborated with a number of airlines to further enhance flight capacity, reduce travel costs, and attract more Chinese tourists to South Africa.
South Africa's Minister of Tourism, Patricia Delilé
We hope to increase direct flights from China to South Africa, and hopefully at the beginning of 2024, the transport and aviation departments of China and South Africa will be able to carry out such a negotiation to help more tourists come to South Africa more conveniently. We also had discussions with Chinese airlines about the high cost of flying between South Africa and China, and we could raise demand and "bring the price down". Because the price of airfare is a challenge for many Chinese tourists who want to visit South Africa, this is already on our agenda.
Reporter Lang Jiahui reports from Beijing
Editor in charge: [Ye Pan]