info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
Image from Bountiful Safaris
Janet Kwamboka, manager of a travel company in Nairobi, is pleased with the prospect of Africa attracting more Chinese tourists in the near future.
"Besides visiting the famous Masai Mara National Reserve to view the wildebeest migration in July, their uptake on new offerings is high and brings them to Kenya all year round. This is a boost to the country's tourism sector."
Kwamboka said Chinese visitors now want to see rare wildlife species such as the Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, also known as the giraffe gazelle, and oryx. Sporting activities such as mountain climbing, zip lining and river rafting are also popular choices.
Kenya counted about 82,000 Chinese visitors in 2018, a 37.7 percent increase compared with the previous year, according to Kenyan government data. However, the East African country hopes to attract around 1 million Chinese tourists each year.
Kenya is the third-largest tourism-driven economy in sub-Saharan Africa and contributed $7.9 billion, or about 8.8 percent, to the country's GDP. The tourism sector supported 1.1 million people last year.
Other African countries also hope to improve on the relatively low number of Chinese visitors to the continent.
African countries with the largest number of Chinese tourists in 2017 were Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa, Mauritius and Zimbabwe.
In recent years, the number of Chinese visitors buying Africa tour packages has jumped. The number of Chinese travelers bound for Africa increased 40 percent per year in the past five years.
It can be expected about 180 million Chinese to travel abroad this year, compared with 149 million in 2018. It estimated that the figure will rise to 260 million by 2030.
Early this year, South Africa announced that it had signed an agreement with China for 10-year multiple entry visas that will pave the way for an e-visa system.
