介绍:
The Chinese tourist is increasingly becoming a prized asset especially for parts of Africa whose economy is largely dependant on tourism. As the relationship between Africa and China also strengthens, many countries in the region are trumpeting on tourism growth from the Chinese market. However there are still issues that need to be dealt with, if Africa has to compete with mature tourism markets in the west. Nillah Nyakoa takes a closer look.
"I have visited eight countries in Africa"
For Chinese avid traveler Peng Rui, Africa has always been close to her heart. Having lived and worked there for close to 3 years, Peng seized the opportunity to get to know the continent better.
"It's the climate, the landscape, the people, and the beautiful white-sand beaches along the coast of the Indian ocean. To me Africa is a continent of infinite beauty and it's gorgeous"
Taking an African safari for a long time has been a thing for the Western travelers. However things seem to be shifting for the Chinese travelers as well. The region is increasingly becoming a highly desirable tourist destination for them says Leo Li, a former Chief reporter to Africa,for China Daily newspaper.
"I used to live and work in Africa for quite a while. I could see a very clear change in the number of Chinese tourists going to especially the Northern part and also the eastern part of Africa and of course southern Africa as well. But they are all going to the traditional tourist destinations with renowned reputation."
Already a recipient of billions of dollars in Chinese investment, Africa is hoping to welcome more and more Chinese tourists to their land. Michael Johns the co-founder of Create consulting a Tourism and Lifestyle communications company says, winners are those countries that have put in efforts to relax and improve visa regulations for the Chinese.
"The trend, I've no doubt in my mind that East Africa is going to see the most pick up in Chinese tourists, because East African countries are making it much easier in terms of visas. Whereas some other countries like South Africa are making it more difficult. So East Africa and other islands of the Indian Ocean closest to Africa are going to see the biggest increase in tourism. But right now there are no big winners but if I had to take a guess where the biggest growth is going to come, definitely that's going to be East Africa."
According to a Skift Travel Report, outbound tourism from China continues to rise year-on-year, climbing globally by 8 percent in 2014 from 2013. Unfortunately, Africa is yet to capture a big share of this cake. The continent is said to only receive about 3 percent of the total global Chinese visitors. To boost the numbers Leo Li stresses that proper communication channels need to be set up to spread the word and persuade more Chinese tourists to gravitate towards Africa.
"The biggest barrier is the information flow. What I'm talking about is that people know Africa from the media sometimes from the third party media, for instance, information from the western media. Inevitably the information in the news about Africa is almost negative news. Thus the image and impressions left with the Chinese tourists is insecurity and this is the biggest concern for Chinese tourists going to Africa. "
A sentiment that Michael Johns seconds, saying that, African governments need to put in more effort in disseminating positive news and information to the Chinese audience, if at all they want to tap into the growing Chinese source market.
"The only country out of the whole of Africa that's really put budget into promoting themselves in China is South Africa. End of story. They've got huge budgets, they've got professional people, they've got plans they've got offices and they do things. On the other hand Kenya tourism relies on Kenya airways and Chinese tour operators to do the work for them. You don't see billboards here, you don't see sponsored ads, you don't see massive inspection tours of sending Chinese media out to these countries, you just don't. Many of the countries will say they are promoting themselves, and I'm sure they are. I'm sure they are doing a little bit of this and that, but it's not enough to cut through the clutter. "
All that having been said, one thing is clear, there is still insufficient information available to the Chinese tourists for their decision making process, when it comes to travel, to Africa.
Although that stands true, Chinese tourist Peng Rui still offers some advice to Chinese tourists deterred by what they've seen regarding the African continent, in the western media.
"I'd like to say, please step into Africa by yourself, because there's a difference between being told and witnessing yourself. Just like a coin has two sides, Africa has two sides too. You've got to see it for yourself. "
On the other hand it's increasingly important for potential tourist destinations to clearly understand the Chinese tourist consumer behaviour says Leo Li. This will in turn serve as an effective marketing tool for attracting and increasing tourist flows from China to Africa.
"They have their own consumption habits and this is one of the things you have to be very familiar with as well. They might seem very strange to you but this is what they're doing and what they like so they have to adapt to that and also learn the new habits and then design the right campaigns"
As the number of outbound Chinese tourists grows, Africa is still an attractive market, that's yet to be tapped into on a large scale. Whether that will stay true for the Chinese traveler however, remains to be seen. Meanwhile, for African governments, the ball is in their court to derive strategies that will massively change the physics of the Chinese travelers towards Africa. So what can they do to boost their respective sagging tourism industry? I put this question across to Robert Li, a Professor at Temple University school of Tourism and Hospitality management, Philadelphia.
"The first thing that they need to keep in Mind is that, at this point they want to have a very targeted marketing strategy. And also African destinations have to target themselves clearly, and build an effective branding strategy to communicate with Chinese tourists. "
For now though, traditional markets in Europe, Australia and North America remain the most attractive, to a vast majority of Chinese visitors.
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