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Africa has moved into the first place as the top travel destination for Chinese tourists, dethroning the ever-popular Japan and Australia.A survey by Travelzoo shows that a record number of Chinese respondents, more than 60%, are planning to travel in-depth in 2018. 'In-depth travels' is a term used by travel websites in China to describe the type of trips that involve more unconventional journeys beyond the typical tourist experience. According to the survey, this is the first time that Africa has moved to first place as the top in-depth travel destination which Chinese travellers hope to visit in 2018. Among the preferred African countries named by Chinese tourists are South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Morocco, Tunisia and Madagascar. Travelzoo experts say the rapid growth in popularity in destinations such as Morocco and Tunisia is largely due to relaxation of visa requirements for Chinese nationals. The survey also showed a 25% increase in the number of requests from Chinese tourists planning to take five or more holidays abroad in 2018. The lifting of major visa restrictions has opened up Africa as an experiential destination, the survey has found.“Travelzoo members like to explore the less-travelled destinations and have immersive local experiences,” comments Yoyo Huang from Travelzoo in China. “These Travelzoo members become influencers for their friends and family when they seek travel suggestions. Now that the major visa restrictions were lifted, our members are definitely keen on Africa and their friends will follow. It is about time that Africa took off and continued to grow in popularity throughout the year.”Beach holidays still top the activities that Chinese travellers are interested in, followed by food and wine. Third place, however, was taken by historic attractions, rising from fifth spot last year. Cruises climbed to seventh place from tenth and photography tours appeared in the top ten the first time. Otherwise, shopping dropped out of the top ten activities for the first time and sightseeing also fell from ninth spot to last.“The days when Chinese tourists were entertained by merely sightseeing and shopping are long gone,” adds Huang. “The middle class in China are now seeking unforgettable experiences at their own pace when they travel. The destinations that offer rich culture and nature should expect many more Chinese visitors, so we're confident in our prediction that 2018 will see Africa secure its place as the fastest-growing popular destination among avid Chinese travellers.”Additionally, the survey revealed that the US - one of the top five destinations of all time for Chinese travellers - fell from the third place to fifth this year while Japan and Australia are second and third. The UK retained the fourth spot, while no other Western European country made it into the top ten this year.The number of Chinese tourists to Africa has more than tripled in the past year and it will have a significant spill-over effect on the African economy beyond just infrastructure and natural resources. Researchers show that Chinese tourists in Africa on average spend 40% more than their American or European counterparts. This will have a huge boom for local economies. China already accounts for more than a fifth of the money spent by outbound tourists, twice as much as the next-biggest spender, the US, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). And the Chinese have barely started - only around 5% of them even have passports, and the government is issuing about ten million new travel documents every year.The UNWTO says Chinese outbound tourism expenditure grew to $261 billion in 2016 (21% of the world market), an increase of 12% from 2015 and 11 times of the amount spent a decade earlier. The number of outbound travellers climbed 6% to 135 million in 2016. Numbers like these reinforced China's number-one outbound tourism status in the world since 2012. Over the past few years the number of Chinese tourists travelling to Namibia has also increased considerably. According to the latest statistics available, a total of 12 512 Chinese tourists visited Namibia during 2016. This was an increase of 8.8% from the previous year when 11 500 Chinese tourists visited the country. Since 2011 there has been an increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country with only 4 035 Chinese visiting Namibia that year, increasing to 9 910 in 2013 and 11 583 the following year. The Namibia Tourism Board's marketing campaign has focused on Chinese cities with large middle-class populations such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Chongqing. The coastal towns of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay are also being marketed by NTB as two ideal leisure places where Chinese tourists could “experience exotic activities such as dolphin cruises, a Sandwich Harbour adventure trip, and quad-biking.” Other attractions being marketed to Chinese tourists are the Etosha National Park and the Himba people. ELLANIE SMIT

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-27

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Ni hao Namibia

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-27

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