Travel to Africa a growing wanderlust phenomenon

A rising trend of visiting Africa has emerged as Chinese tourists increasingly set their sights on the continent, especially experienced tourists who travel abroad frequently and younger adventurers with a thirst for more exotic experiences.

Africa, with rich tourism resources, has attracted a substantial number of experienced travelers from China, particularly financially stable middle-aged individuals. Those aged between 35 and 50 comprise more than a third of total Chinese visitors, said Tuniu Corp, a Nanjing, Jiangsu province-based online travel agency.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the launch of more direct flights shortened travel times, and encouraged visits from a diverse range of tourists, including senior travelers over 60.

In the post-pandemic era, African tourism has gradually resumed, and flight capacities have been on track for recovery. So far, the capacity of direct flights connecting Chinese and African cities rebounded to approximately 40 to 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels, Tuniu said.

China's tourism market has shown strong resilience from November last year to present, with peak travel seasons occurred during the Chinese New Year holiday and summer vacations, and it has boosted the growth of diversified, personalized and high-quality tourism products and services, Tuniu said.

"Chinese travelers have been placing an increasing focus on factors such as safety, visa processing efficiency and resumption of flight capacities, leading to a surge in demand for personalized and small-group tours in Africa," said Li Peng, director of African tourism business at Tuniu.

"Chinese tourists mainly travel to Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, and seasonal destinations such as Kenya and South Africa have been popular choices. Tanzania and Namibia, with exposures and promotions via some variety shows and social media platforms, have also grabbed public attention," Li said.

Yet compared with European destinations, African destinations show a gap in service capabilities. There are fewer premium hotels, and they carry expensive price tags. Such hotels have strong service awareness and adopt service management concepts like high-end hotels in Europe and the United States. In comparison, ordinary hotels in Africa simply meet the accommodation demand of tourists, industry experts observed.

The attraction of African tourism still lies in its splendid natural scenery, adventure and simplicity compared to urban settings. The convenience of travel product bookings and infrastructure need to be further improved, and road infrastructure throughout Africa lags relatively behind, Li said.

Taking Egypt as an example, if Chinese tourists would like to book temporary cruise trips, rent cars or book tour guides locally, such services still lag behind in terms of convenience, Li added.

This summer, the booking volume of flight tickets from China to Africa jumped 120 percent over last summer, said Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.

Qunar said Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa have been the most popular African destinations. With favorable entry policies of African countries and more available flights, traveling to Africa has become increasingly convenient, it said.

"Africa boasts rich cultural and natural sceneries. Visiting the ancient and mysterious Egyptian pyramids, animal migrations in Kenya, as well as Chefchaouen in Morocco, known for its blue and white buildings, have been sought after among Chinese travelers," said Xiao Peng, a Qunar researcher.

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest carrier in Africa, said it has seen rapid growth in travel demand from China to major African cities, and the airline is bullish on its growth potential in China.

Currently, the carrier operates 25 passenger flights weekly connecting Addis Ababa, the capital, with Beijing; Shanghai; Guangzhou, Guangdong province; and Hong Kong.

Ethiopian Airlines said the future growth of demand is expected to mainly come from increasing passenger traffic between China and Africa, as well as strategic partnerships and collaborations, said Aman Wole Gurmu, country director of China for the airline.