CRI听力:South Africa plans to attract one million Chinese tourists in five years

South African Tourism held a trade show this week in Beijing, Chongqing, and Shenzhen, in a bid to promote the latest travel destinations and exotic travel experiences that are on offer to Chinese tourists.

South Africa should be an increasingly attractive and afffordable destination for Chinese tourists curious to explore its rich cultural heritage and go on one of the country's exciting wildlife safaris.

But the number of Chinese tourist visiting South Africa fell by 17 percent last year, mostly due to visa restrictions and concerns about safety.

But as South Africa's Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom explained at an industry workshop this week in Beijing, the country has plans to bring in one million Chinese tourists over the next five years.

"We really value the Chinese tourists come to out country. We really value it. It's around about one hundred thousand Chinese came to visit South Africa in 2017. We believe that it could be many more. From the one hundred thousand visitors that we get from China to South Africa, that in the next five years, we want to make that one hundred thousand to a million," Hanekom said.

South Africa has taken several steps towards its goal of one million Chinese tourists.

These include opening visa service centers in 11 Chinese cities, establishing more non-stop flights between the two countries, and creating journeys that are targeted at Chinese tourists travelling independently.

For example, July 18 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Nelson Mandela. To celebrate his legacy, South African Tourism and the Nelson Mandela Foundation have worked together to create a free app called "Madiba's Journey", that pinpoints sites of historic significance across the country where tourists can go to learn about his life story.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa. Hanekom said that tourism can be a great catalyst for deepening the ties between the two countries.

"You can never underestimate the value of real person to person contact. Because you can have all the agreement politically, but there is nothing more powerful than real friendships between people. And that's what tourism does. People come to South Africa. They experience it, they feel it, they connect with other people. We understand each other's cultures better. And so we get to love each other's country a lot better," Hanekom noted.

The tourism minister said that one out of every 10 people in South Africa was employed in a tourism-related job. He says the industry contributes about 9 percent to the country's Gross Domestic Product.