Exotic appeal of Africa

[Photo by Song Chen/China Daily]

But not enough done to draw Chinese visitors.

Grand animal migrations and exotic tribal dances used to exist only on television for the Chinese. But with the burgeoning of the middle class in recent years, more are eager to turn that African dream into reality.

Most Africa countries are yet to have official figures for tourist arrivals, but the few that have show sharp growth in the number of Chinese tourists. South Africa was China's fastest-growing outbound market in 2013, with a 68-percent increase over the previous year, and this growth is set to continue over the next five years. The number of Chinese tourists who visited Kenya last year reached 37,000.

Kenya and Tanzania are two of the most attractive destinations for Chinese visitors. Uganda could become another top destination for the Chinese, considering that China Southern Airlines might introduce a direct flight to the country.

Yet, the figures are but a small fraction of the total number of China's outbound tourists.

China was the largest outbound tourist market in 2013 with 97.3 million outbound trips. The number is more than double the 47.7 million in 2009. Last year, Chinese tourists spent $102 billion during their overseas trips, more than any other country in the world.

Because of the outbreak of Ebola, the number of travelers from China to many Africa countries has fallen this year, though the epidemic in the continent has been confined to only several countries in West Africa.

The Kenya Tourism Board says all international arrivals in the first five months of this year fell from 398,000 last year to 381,000, a decrease of 4 percent. The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority shows that Chinese tourists to Zimbabwe in the first six months of this year dropped to 2,730 from about 10,000 in the same period last year.

Although hard hit by the epidemic, the tourism industry in Africa shows great resilience, especially in the luxury traveling segment.

The majority of trips to Africa are within the budget category, but the proportion of luxury trips is increasing sharply, says Michael Jones, co-founder of Africa Create, a Beijing-based company promoting African hotels, airlines and other tourism-related industries. Jones, from Cape Town, has worked in China's outbound tourism business for 13 years.

Typically, a budget trip from China to South Africa costs 10,000 yuan ($1,650) per person, with a number of shopping stops. Luxury trips start at 40,000 yuan.

Jones says premium travelers are much pickier. "They are not satisfied with the routine offerings, but look for unique experiences such as wine tasting in Cape Town and remote boutique hotels that are quiet, isolated and private."

These guests are usually cosmopolitan - they have traveled a lot in Europe and North America, and now Africa is another continent they want to explore, says Zhang Yan, trade relations director and co-founder of Africa Create.