South Africa Eyes Stronger Tourism Ties with China | SFC Markets and Finance

SFC Correspondent Zheng Qingting, Intern Fan Shuqing in Beijing

South Africa is ramping up efforts to attract Chinese tourists by showcasing its vibrant cultural heritage, stunning natural landscapes, and innovative initiatives to strengthen bilateral tourism cooperation, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille told SFC in a recent interview. In 2024, the country welcomed over 41,000 Chinese visitors, with a goal to triple this figure in the coming years. Tourism, contributing over 8% to South Africa’s GDP, is a vital engine for economic growth and job creation, especially for young people.

To streamline travel for Chinese visitors, South Africa launched a Trusted Tour Operator Scheme in February 2025, enabling visa applications through accredited operators. By May, over 10,000 applications had been processed. Multiple-entry visas now allow seamless travel to neighboring countries like Botswana. Beyond iconic attractions like safaris and Table Mountain, South Africa is promoting “hidden gems” such as the newly opened Dinosaur Interpretation Centre and immersive cultural experiences in rural villages and townships.

Patricia de Lille emphasized the robust partnership with China, including Mandarin training for tour operators and plans to leverage Chinese celebrities and digital platforms like RedBook and Douyin to promote South Africa. To address safety concerns, the country has deployed 2,300 tourism safety monitors and introduced a security app, providing access to private security, police, and medical services. With tailored itineraries for millennials, families, and luxury travelers, South Africa is well-positioned to tap into China’s booming outbound tourism market.

SFC Markets and Finance: Tourism is such a vibrant part of South Africa's identity. Can you share how significant tourism is to South Africa's economy and what role the Chinese market plays in this dynamic?

Patricia de Lille:Thank you for having me. First, let me express my gratitude to all our Chinese visitors for their support. In 2024, we welcomed over 41,000 Chinese visitors, and our goal is to triple that number. Tourism is vital to South Africa's economy. We are blessed with a beautiful country and incredible natural attractions. Our people, our greatest asset, are very welcoming. Tourism contributes more than 8% to South Africa's GDP, with significant potential to create employment opportunities. For every international tourist who visits South Africa, we create a job, particularly for semi-skilled and unskilled young people. The entry-level requirements are accessible, and training is available.

China has been assisting us by training tour operators to speak Mandarin. Next year, we plan to bring in another 25 tour operators and companies to not only learn Mandarin but also to study what interests Chinese tourists when they visit South Africa. This allows us to package itineraries for millennials, families, tour groups, and study groups. The cooperation with the Chinese government is excellent, and we appreciate their support as it helps grow our economy and create jobs.

SFC Markets and Finance: It sounds like China is an important player in South Africa’s tourism industry.

Patricia de Lille:Definitely. That’s why I visited China in November 2023 to engage with tour operators. I asked them what more we could do to ensure a seamless travel experience for Chinese visitors. One major issue has been visas. We’ve introduced a Trusted Tour Operator system, so Chinese visitors no longer need to visit a South African embassy or consulate. They can apply for a visa through a tour operator, whether for a group of five or 200 people. The process is online, and visas are issued within two to three days. We just added 19 accredited tour operators from China, approved by both the Chinese and South African governments.

I’m here to increase that number. The purpose of our meeting is to recruit more operators to streamline the visa process. Since introducing this system in February 2025, we’ve received more than 10,000 visa applications through tour operators by the end of May. There’s significant potential, and I hope we can reach out to more operators to facilitate visas for both tourism and business. We also now issue multiple-entry visas, allowing Chinese tourists to visit South Africa, travel to neighboring countries like Botswana for a few days, and return.

SFC Markets and Finance: What makes the Chinese market so promising for South Africa’s tourism industry, and what factors are driving this opportunity?

Patricia de Lille:First, it’s our longstanding relationship with the People’s Republic of China. Our president visited China, and your president visited South Africa to strengthen bilateral ties. Chinese visitors enjoy safaris to see wild animals and love visiting Cape Town to see Table Mountain. However, we’ve diversified our tourism offerings to include what I call “Hidden Gems”. A few weeks ago, we launched the first Dinosaur Interpretation Centre in South Africa, where the world’s oldest dinosaur fossils, including dinosaur embryos, were discovered. It’s highly educational, and since its opening, over 9,000 young people have visited. We’re showcasing that South Africa offers more than safaris and Table Mountain. Our rich culture and history provide opportunities for Chinese tourists to experience how we live. They can visit small towns, rural villages, and townships to share our food and culture. The opportunities are endless.

SFC Markets and Finance: To better understand the travelers, how do the preferences of Chinese tourists differ from those of other major markets? Are there unique things they look for when visiting South Africa?

Patricia de Lille:Definitely. Besides safaris, Chinese tourists enjoy visiting our small towns and villages. They love experiencing our cultural heritage, including our vibrant dancing and singing. Shopping is also a big draw—South Africa is known for gold and diamonds. For the luxury market, we can design tailored itineraries to offer the best experiences. We personalize travel itineraries based on what visitors want to see.

SFC Markets and Finance: What unique attractions or experiences is South Africa promoting to capture the attention of Chinese visitors, especially given the booming growth of China’s outbound tourism market?

Patricia de Lille:One trend gaining traction in South Africa is “glamping”—living in five-star tents in the bush with all the facilities, allowing visitors to connect closely with nature. While staying in city hotels remains an option, glamping offers a sustainable tourism experience linked to climate change, where visitors can observe how animals and humans coexist. For adventurers, we offer hot air balloon rides and bungee jumping. South Africa is also bidding to host Formula 1, and we’re learning from China’s experience in hosting it.

Another initiative is recruiting local Chinese celebrities and South Africans living in China who speak Mandarin fluently to promote South Africa. We’re going fully digital, leveraging platforms like Xiaohongshu and China’s version of TikTok (Douyin) to inspire more Chinese visitors. We’ll also continue roadshows in China, bringing South African traders to visit, but our main focus is a full-scale digital campaign to raise awareness about South Africa.

SFC Markets and Finance: Safety is a top priority for travelers. How is the South African government addressing safety concerns to make the country even more appealing to international visitors?

Patricia de Lille:We’ve identified frequently visited tourist attractions and employed 2,300 tourism safety monitors to share information and ensure safe travel between destinations. We’ve partnered with the private sector to develop a security app that tourists can download before arriving in South Africa. With a button press, the app provides access to 300 private security companies, the police, and 200 medical institutions in case of emergencies. South African police are mandated to keep both residents and visitors safe.

We regret any attacks on tourists and offer aftercare services, including filing complaints with the police, providing interpretation services, and contacting the tourist’s embassy. For Chinese tourists, we ensure their safety for the remainder of their stay and place them in secure accommodations. If a case goes to court, tourists can testify virtually from anywhere in the world, so they don’t need to return to South Africa.

We regularly update our embassies and consulates on these measures. We’ve seen a reduction in attacks on foreign visitors, particularly around Table Mountain, where we deployed an additional 40 tourism safety monitors last summer. The mountain is unfenced, with multiple access points, so we’ve placed monitors around key areas like Cape Point to enhance safety.

Chief Producer: Zhao Haijian

Supervising Producer: Shi Shi

Editor: Li Yinong

Reporter: Zheng Qingting, Intern Fan Shuqing, Yang Yulai

Video Editor: Cai Yutian

Photographer: Intern Fan Shuqing

New Media Coordination: Ding Qingyun, Zeng Tingfang, Lai Xi, Huang Daxun

Overseas Operations Supervising Producer: Huang Yanshu

Overseas Content Coordinator: Huang Zihao

Overseas Operations Editors: Zhuang Huan, Wu Wanjie, Long Lihua, Chen Quanyi

Produced by: Southern Finance Omnimedia Group