Travel to Africa from China has almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels and visitors are keen to experience the continent. There has, however, been a shift in how the market travels, which presents numerous new opportunities for African travel operators.

This is according to Lin Yu, Managing Director of Travel World China, who provided some insights into the Chinese market during a webinar hosted by the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA).

Chinese market recovery

Yu highlighted Alipay data that indicated that expenditure during Chinese New Year celebrations in February increased by 140% compared with 2023, saying it hinted at a “burgeoning luxury travel market”.

While China’s tourism sector took longer to recover than originally anticipated, some markets were almost back at pre-pandemic levels. Yu said Africa as a whole had seen nearly 100% recovery. Key to this was the availability of international flights, which had not been a hindrance for the African market.

Yu said, for the most part, visas were not a hindrance either, with many African countries offering visa-free or landing visas for the Chinese market. She however singled out South Africa, saying that the procedure was complicated.

“It’s one of the reasons South Africa has not been performing as well as its East African counterparts,” she said.

A poll by Chinese Outbound Travel & Tourism Market ranked the top 15 African destinations that were attracting the most interest from Chinese visitors. Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Egypt and Morocco all ranked in the list, with island nations like Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles also seeing increasing interest.

The profile of the Chinese traveller

Chinese visitors to Africa were often well travelled, and viewed the continent as an adventurous frontier waiting to be discovered, Yu said.

Africa’s appeal resonates particularly with affluent travellers, who view travel as a way to enhance their social status.

Yu said for many Chinese travellers, South Africa was their first entry into African travel, predominantly because of flight connections and the diversity of tourism products. She said that many Chinese visitors returned to Africa, but not necessarily to the same country they initially visited.

“This demographic, particularly high-nett-worth Chinese travellers, represents a highly desirable market segment, making them ideal candidates for visiting Africa,” Yu said.

Emerging trends in the Chinese travel market

“There is no one-size-fits-all for Chinese tourists; their interests are as diverse as the places they explore,” she said.

While the market is known for group travel, she said the group size was reducing, and there was a rise in both multigenerational and solo travel.

Post-pandemic, more Chinese people were exploring special interests, which is also driving travel trends.

“There is a move away from the stereotype of just shopping and taking photos,” she said, adding that golf, horse riding, wine appreciation and bird watching were among the growing niche travel experiences Chinese travellers were seeking out.

There is a particular interest in golf tourism, and Yu said South African Tourism had recently partnered with Chinese banks and golf clubs to target VIP credit card users “with great success”.

This aligns with SATSA’s recently launched golf chapter, with the organisation noting that golfers spend 120% per person more per day than the average traveller.

Among travellers in the 35-50 age group, travellers want to “slow down and indulge in local experiences”. This means that they’re likely to stay in one place longer than their younger counterparts.

Catering for Chinese visitors

While the Chinese market’s interests are varied, there are a few things that Yu says will appeal to Chinese travellers.

“Chinese food will be an advantage. Nine out of ten travellers want it wherever they go and they miss it for even a day!” she said.

Yu said Chinese visitors, particularly women, were keen photographers and wanted to take photos wherever they went. To cater for this, tour operators should “slow down the pace” to allow people to stop and take photos.

She also recommends dedicated areas or backdrops, which could be branded, where people could take photos. And finally, to enable them to share on social media, a good Internet connection is required.