Perspectives of travel agencies in China with regards to promoting South Africa as a leisure tourist destination : an explanatory study

Abstract

With a population of 1.3 billion and a rapidly growing economy, China has the potential to exert a greater influence on the development of tourism worldwide. In particular, the China outbound tourism market is expanding at a fast rate. Along with the Approved Destination Status, which was granted to South Africa in 2001, South African Tourism has already set its sights on targeting this emerging market. The purpose ofthis research was to establish the perspectives oftravel agencies in China with regard to promoting South Africa as a leisure tourist destination. The study attempted to survey travel agencies in China, in order to understand Chinese travel agents and their clients' dislikes and preferences, which assisted the researcher to identify the attractive points and drawbacks ofSouth African tours, as viewed by travel agencies. In this study, 90 international travel agencies were surveyed with the use of self-completion questionnaires, while 6 in-depth interviews were conducted. The research results provided the perceptions and attitudes of South Africa, as viewed by Chinese travel agencies and revealed that shopping and entertainment, scenic beauty, different people and their lifestyles, cultural experiences and wildlife experiences were the top five of the attractions of South Africa as a tourist destination. The main factors, which prevent Chinese tourists from visiting South Africa, were unfamiliarity, affordability and negative perceptions with regard to crime and HIV/AIDS.