China has recently become the largest outbound tourist market in the world. The number of Chinese tourists traveling worldwide has grown to over a 100 million, likely to double by 2020. In 2013 Chinese tourists spent a total $102 billion dollars on their trips.
When Chinese-looking persons enter the Nairobi City Market or Massai Market Fair in Kenya’s capital, they are often greeted with “Ni Hao” as they pass shops and stands. Some local shop-keepers have a broader Mandarin vocabulary, which helps them sell African woodcarvings, fabric, or other local souvenirs to Chinese tourists.
Those numbers are expected to keep rising. Many Chinese are weary of traditional destinations, such as Europe and North America. So they are turning to Africa as a great place to spend an exotic vacation.
The numerous bilateral exchanges between China and Africa have encouraged Chinese tourism in African countries. In 2008 only 2.8 % of Chinese tourists chose Africa as a destination.
In 2014, according to the China Outbound Travel Development Report, that number has reached 9.4 %. The annual growth rate of Chinese tourist traffic to Africa has been 50% since 2010 - higher than to any other part of the world.
The most popular destination for Chinese tourists is South Africa; with direct flights currently available between Beijing and Johannesburg. Derek Hanekom, Tourism Minister of South Africa, says China is one of the important sources of tourists for his country and pledges to help create more conveniences to welcome Chinese travelers.
Other destinations popular among the Chinese are Egypt, Kenya, Cameroon, Senegal, Algeria, Angola, Mauritius, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe.
Since the Chinese government has granted Kenya an Approved Destination Status for outbound tourism in 2004, the number of Chinese tourists going there has risen. In 2013, 37,000 Chinese visited Kenya.
The same year, on a visit to China, Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta said his country’s tourism industry had set the goal of attracting a record number of 1.3 million Chinese.
Tourism in Kenya is popular in the summer when migration of animals can be observed in its national parks. When China Central Television (CCTV) aired live broadcasts of the migration of rhinos, zebras, and wilder beasts in 2012-13, that became a well-known wonder in China.
That has attracted thousands of Chinese during the summer season to Kenya.
Zhang Hongtao, director of AA lodges in Kenya, said, Now Chinese tourists book hotels six months in advance to get a room nearby even when the accommodation price doubles or triples.
The majority of Chinese tourists prefer big organized group trips within budget. About 10% of them, however, are high-end travelers who spend 4-5 times more money than the average tourist.
People in this category travel in smaller groups and avoid rough roads by taking charter flights to national parks.
They use secluded private lodges instead of hotels. While in Europe they may buy luxury brands, in South Africa their interests are diamonds.
Some of Kenya’s tour-operators, including Safari Collection, Governor’s Camp, and Loisaba Wilderness, cooperate with Chinese counterparts to promote luxury services.
There are some important tips from experts, which would be helpful to Africans in their attempts to attract more Chinese tourists and make their experience more enjoyable:
1.African governments should make tourism a greater priority on their national agenda by taking the following steps:
a). Improve safety measures around tourist sites.
b). Enhance tourism-related infrastructure.
c). Ease visa procedures for Chinese travelers.
d). Spend more on tourism promotion, which brings much easier and quicker economic returns than industrial investments.
Currently, only few African countries, such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Morocco have set up tourist promoting agencies in China.
If the Chinese overcome the stereotypical international fear of travel in Africa and realize what a great experience it could be, the number of their visits there would skyrocket.
2.African service and hospitality sector needs to:
a). Hire more Chinese-speakers. Many Chinese business travelers might know English, but their families members who come on a safari often might not.
b). Offer Chinese food at National Park lodges, porridge and noodles for breakfast, complimentary green tea, and hot water – all good gestures of Chinese hospitality.
Many National Park lodges in Kenya, for example do not offer any Chinese food. Some Chinese tourists, especially seniors, may enjoy their safaris, but can’t wait to return to Nairobi for Chinese food.
Even though Chinese travelers, like others, might sometimes be discouraged by problems including the Ebola epidemic in 2013-14 or an occasional terrorist assault, Chinese tourism in Africa will flourish.
Yang Jinsong, a professor of international tourism at the China Tourism Academy, considers this phenomenon astounding. “The number of Chinese tourists to Africa will rise, and rise greatly” said Yang.
South Africa is targeting Chinese and Indian tourists after relaxing its visa rules.
South Africa’s tourism industry is recovering from an ill-fated experiment with stricter visa regulations. The country welcomed nearly 3 million tourists in January this year, 15% up on a year ago, according to the tourism ministry this week.
In the last quarter of 2015, the number of tourists from China fell by nearly half, and visitors from India dropped by 15%, according to the South African Tourism Services Association.
Tourism has consistently made up 3% of South Africa’s economy in the last decade, and is a key source of jobs and foreign income, according to Statistics South Africa, a government agency.
Tourism minister Derek Hanekom attributed the revitalized growth to South Africa’s weakened currency, the elimination of the Ebola outbreak all the way over in West Africa, and scrapping controversial visa restrictions.
The laws were relaxed earlier this year but it could take up to five years for the industry to fully recover, Tourism Business Council of South Africa CEO Mmatati Ramawela said.
In October 2014, South Africa’s Home Affairs department introduced new laws that required all visitors to have their bio-metric data captured in person at an embassy or official visa center.
Children were required to travel with a certified unabridged birth certificate and the written consent of a parent where the child was traveling with one parent or a relative.
The new regulations were aimed at a broad number of issues to “balance South Africa’s openness to legitimate travelers,” home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba said at the time. His department’s main concerns were South Africa’s porous borders and national security.
But it was the legitimate travelers who may have been worst affected, especially from China and India. The tourism minister Hanekom has since traveled to China and India to reassure visitors that South Africa is once again a hassle-free dream destination.
The improved numbers still reflect a bias toward countries that have historically favored passports. Eight of the top ten visiting nationalities come from countries that don’t need visas, meaning remaining restrictions are still deterring a huge tourism market in the developing world.
South Africa is also missing out on tourists from its own continent. More than 98% of African tourists who visited South Africa, all came from countries within the Southern African Development Community.
Citizens of the 15-member trade and diplomatic community do not need visas to travel within the community, a model South Africa, and the rest of the continent, may want to consider expanding.
South Africa saw a huge increase of Chinese tourists in January and the country is expecting a Chinese tourist boom with a series of measures to facilitate their coming, according to South Africa's digital publishing house.
The report said data from Statistics South Africa show that 1,012,641 tourist arrivals to South Africa were recorded in January this year, up 15 percent from that of the same month last year.
It is the first time South Africa had more than one million tourist arrivals in a month, it said.
The report said 79 percent arrived from African countries and the others were from overseas. And of the overseas visitors, arrivals from China grew by 93 percent.
South Africa Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom indicated that despite China's economic slow-down, there is an expected boom of Chinese tourists in South Africa, the report said.
It said a series of measures have been taken to attract expected Chinese tourists.
With an Accredited Travel Company program in China, which was announced by the Department of Home Affairs of South Africa in January, Chinese travelers to South Africa don't need to make in-person applications at visa processing centers any more.
There's also no requirement for Chinese nationals to have transit visas to travel to South Africa's neighboring countries.
South Africa also opened new visa facilitation centers in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province. The country already had visa centers in Beijing and Shanghai. Five more centers are expected to be open at the end of April in another five provincial capitals.
We are confident that the number of tourists visiting South Africa from China will grow significantly this year. Our discussions with the Chinese travel trade have included measures on how to make the best of the expected boom, Hanekom said.
In 2015, China was the world's top outbound tourist market, with more than 100 million Chinese traveling abroad.
With the opening of direct flights, relaxation of visa regimes and other incentives, many African countries are expecting the arrival of more Chinese tourists.
In 2015, China Southern Airlines launched flights to Kenya's capital, Nairobi, from Guangzhou and Air China also launched direct flights from Beijing to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.
Tourism, Travel, Hospitality, Conservation: News,Stories And Experiences From Allover The World
Showing posts with label Derek Hanekom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Derek Hanekom. Show all posts
Monday, 8 May 2017
Saturday, 1 April 2017
SOUTH AFRICA: Be Positive Former Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom Says
South Africans must remain positive following the mass Cabinet reshuffle by President Jacob Zuma, outgoing Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom said on Friday.
He took to Twitter on Thursday evening to thank people for their support.
"Thank you so much for the hundreds of kind and supportive tweets! Be positive!" his last tweet of the day read.
He responded to many tweets. In one of them, he said he was given no reason for his axing.
"I saw it on the media release," he said.
He said he was feeling "as strong as ever", but was deeply concerned about what was happening.
Hanekom was one of five ministers who lost their positions in the executive after Zuma's dramatic announcement on Thursday night.
A total of 20 ANC MPs received new posts in the Cabinet as part of the reshuffle, many of them young women.
Hanekom said his former colleagues would continue to serve as best as they could. He would continue to promote his old portfolio to anyone who asked about "our beautiful country".
"It was a privilege to serve and I truly enjoyed working with the industry. Tourism has huge potential," he said.
"I have certainly tried my best, and it was a privilege."
He said he would not quit as an MP in Parliament.
Hanekom's deputy Tokozile Xasa is taking over from him. She said that South Africa must give the incoming Cabinet ministers a chance to do good work in their portfolios.
"For ANC supporters out there, and to everybody, give the new people the opportunity to demonstrate and ensure that we are able to implement," she said.
He took to Twitter on Thursday evening to thank people for their support.
"Thank you so much for the hundreds of kind and supportive tweets! Be positive!" his last tweet of the day read.
He responded to many tweets. In one of them, he said he was given no reason for his axing.
"I saw it on the media release," he said.
He said he was feeling "as strong as ever", but was deeply concerned about what was happening.
Hanekom was one of five ministers who lost their positions in the executive after Zuma's dramatic announcement on Thursday night.
A total of 20 ANC MPs received new posts in the Cabinet as part of the reshuffle, many of them young women.
Hanekom said his former colleagues would continue to serve as best as they could. He would continue to promote his old portfolio to anyone who asked about "our beautiful country".
"It was a privilege to serve and I truly enjoyed working with the industry. Tourism has huge potential," he said.
"I have certainly tried my best, and it was a privilege."
He said he would not quit as an MP in Parliament.
Hanekom's deputy Tokozile Xasa is taking over from him. She said that South Africa must give the incoming Cabinet ministers a chance to do good work in their portfolios.
"For ANC supporters out there, and to everybody, give the new people the opportunity to demonstrate and ensure that we are able to implement," she said.
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
SOUTH AFRICA: Mandarin Tourism Students Off To China
The first 20 tourism practitioners to be taught how to speak Mandarin in a recently launched Department of Tourism programme passed with an average mark of 88%.
Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom presented them with certificates on Tuesday before they head off to China for three weeks.
The Dept of Tourism @Tourism_gov_za tweeted: “The simple language exchanges will go a long way in making sure that we receive more Chinese tourists in this country: Min @Derek_Hanekom”.
Hanekom posted on Twitter: “They have just completed 12 weeks of Mandarin learning. Average mark was 88%! You should hear them speak Chinese!”
Department media liaison Praveen Naidoo also tweeted a photo of his boss congratulating them: “@Derek_Hanekom thanks the Mandarin teachers for training frontline tourism staff in language and culture of China.”
The programme was officially launched in September‚ but has its roots in 2013‚ when the South African government signed an agreement to cooperate with the People's Republic of China in the tourism sector.
This gave rise to the partnership to train locals in Mandarin in order to improve the service provided to Chinese tourists to South Africa.
According to the Chinese Embassy‚ 58 000 tourists from the Asian nation visited South Africa in the first half of 2016.
Addressing the launch in September‚ Chinese deputy ambassador Li Song said the relationship with South Africa was growing and at its best levels ever. Song congratulated the trainees on their journey and said it would have value in their live going into the future.
"You will not regret all the time and energy that you put in the learning of the Chinese language. Your language skills will pave a way for a lot of opportunities in the future."
Song added that there were other language partnerships with the departments in police‚ international relations‚ and basic education.
Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom presented them with certificates on Tuesday before they head off to China for three weeks.
The Dept of Tourism @Tourism_gov_za tweeted: “The simple language exchanges will go a long way in making sure that we receive more Chinese tourists in this country: Min @Derek_Hanekom”.
Hanekom posted on Twitter: “They have just completed 12 weeks of Mandarin learning. Average mark was 88%! You should hear them speak Chinese!”
Department media liaison Praveen Naidoo also tweeted a photo of his boss congratulating them: “@Derek_Hanekom thanks the Mandarin teachers for training frontline tourism staff in language and culture of China.”
The programme was officially launched in September‚ but has its roots in 2013‚ when the South African government signed an agreement to cooperate with the People's Republic of China in the tourism sector.
This gave rise to the partnership to train locals in Mandarin in order to improve the service provided to Chinese tourists to South Africa.
According to the Chinese Embassy‚ 58 000 tourists from the Asian nation visited South Africa in the first half of 2016.
Addressing the launch in September‚ Chinese deputy ambassador Li Song said the relationship with South Africa was growing and at its best levels ever. Song congratulated the trainees on their journey and said it would have value in their live going into the future.
"You will not regret all the time and energy that you put in the learning of the Chinese language. Your language skills will pave a way for a lot of opportunities in the future."
Song added that there were other language partnerships with the departments in police‚ international relations‚ and basic education.
Saturday, 14 May 2016
South Africa Moves To Attract Indian Tourists
South Africa has identified India as a key focus market for boosting tourism and it will shortly launch an aggressive campaign to attract tourists from there.
South Africa has identified India as a key focus market for boosting tourism and it will shortly launch an aggressive campaign to attract tourists from there.
South African Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom announced this at the INDABA tourism fair here. He said that the country had received more than 80,000 Indian tourists last year and his ministry planned to dedicate to India a significant part of its advertising budget of nearly $8 million this year, with the objective of boosting significantly the arrivals from India.
“India has a huge potential and our challenge is to see what is needed in order for this market to grow and for us to get a fair share of the huge pool of Indian travellers,” Hanekom said.
He said Indian travellers felt at home in South Africa as they had a very large population of people of Indian origin, especially in Durban.
“Mahatma Gandhi had also lived here in Durban. Here, just like in India, we have different cultures and different religions living in harmony with one another,” he added.
INDABA, which means gathering in Zulu, has positioned itself as the largest tourism fair in the African continent and attracts participation from all African countries which come to display their new products and services, as tourism is an essential sector for creating employment as well as economic growth in the least developed continent in the world.
“The safari experience is certainly one of the key selling point of Africa. We don’t have the Taj Mahal or some of the incredible sites that you have in India, but here in South Africa, you can be guaranteed to see the Big 5 (Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, Buffaloes and Leopards) in just one, single safari,” Hanekom said.
Tourism to South Africa and other African countries was severely hit by fears arising from the fresh outbreak of Ebola epidemic in West African nations of Liberia, Sierre Leone and Guinea. The market has begun to show signs of recovery, now that the outbreak has subsided.
The minister said that tourists’ fears were misplaced about contracting the virus in South Africa. “In fact, Europeans were much closer to where Ebola was happening than we were in South Africa,” Hanekom said.
Apart from a subsiding Ebola, Hanekom placed his hopes on boosting arrivals from India on the ease of visa regulations for Indians visiting South Africa. Earlier, the visa regulations were strict and it would take up to three weeks for getting permission to travel. In April this year, after Hanekom’s visit to India, the norms have been eased and visas should be easier and quicker to obtain for Indians.
“The problem is that our consulate and embassies were having difficulties in answering and handling the visa demands during the peak travel season in India and it often took up to three weeks for delivering visas. That is simply too long. I am convinced that if we manage to make the visa easier we can double the numbers in a couple of years,” Hanekom explained.
For many Indians, the country is also perceived as an elite and expensive destination just like European countries, but in recent months a weakening Rand has allowed more Indians to visit and spend more.
Another peculiarity of the Indian travellers is that they like to visit several countries on a trip. While in Europe and North America it is simpler due to visa-free travel between nations, it is still a challenge in Africa.
This point was a focus of discussions at the INDABA this year and various African countries have begun looking at how to facilitate such seamless travel in Africa. Hanekom admitted that security and instability issues in some African nations remained an important barrier to visa-free travel within the continent.
The minister also allayed fears of travellers that that some areas in South Africa were unsafe.
Hanneli Slabber, country manager of South Africa Tourism in India, said: “I guess you have to beware of pickpockets anywhere in the world. Indians visiting South Africa enjoy adventure and activities and they buy triple the amount of activities than those from other nations. Indian women are actually leading in terms of numbers and they like the country and feel safe.”
Slabber said that now a lot of vegetarian options, including vegan and Jain food, are available in the country and there were several Indian restaurants. “Our cuisine is influenced by Indian curries as well and a lot of South Africans, not necessarily of Indian origin, can cook good Indian cuisine,” he added.
However, in a blow to tourism from India, the national carrier, South African Airways, facing a shortage of aircraft, has stopped the only direct flights from India (Mumbai) to South Africa, forcing Indian tourists to go for alternatives like Emirates or Qatar with one-stop flights.
South Africa has identified India as a key focus market for boosting tourism and it will shortly launch an aggressive campaign to attract tourists from there.
South African Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom announced this at the INDABA tourism fair here. He said that the country had received more than 80,000 Indian tourists last year and his ministry planned to dedicate to India a significant part of its advertising budget of nearly $8 million this year, with the objective of boosting significantly the arrivals from India.
“India has a huge potential and our challenge is to see what is needed in order for this market to grow and for us to get a fair share of the huge pool of Indian travellers,” Hanekom said.
He said Indian travellers felt at home in South Africa as they had a very large population of people of Indian origin, especially in Durban.
“Mahatma Gandhi had also lived here in Durban. Here, just like in India, we have different cultures and different religions living in harmony with one another,” he added.
INDABA, which means gathering in Zulu, has positioned itself as the largest tourism fair in the African continent and attracts participation from all African countries which come to display their new products and services, as tourism is an essential sector for creating employment as well as economic growth in the least developed continent in the world.
“The safari experience is certainly one of the key selling point of Africa. We don’t have the Taj Mahal or some of the incredible sites that you have in India, but here in South Africa, you can be guaranteed to see the Big 5 (Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, Buffaloes and Leopards) in just one, single safari,” Hanekom said.
Tourism to South Africa and other African countries was severely hit by fears arising from the fresh outbreak of Ebola epidemic in West African nations of Liberia, Sierre Leone and Guinea. The market has begun to show signs of recovery, now that the outbreak has subsided.
The minister said that tourists’ fears were misplaced about contracting the virus in South Africa. “In fact, Europeans were much closer to where Ebola was happening than we were in South Africa,” Hanekom said.
Apart from a subsiding Ebola, Hanekom placed his hopes on boosting arrivals from India on the ease of visa regulations for Indians visiting South Africa. Earlier, the visa regulations were strict and it would take up to three weeks for getting permission to travel. In April this year, after Hanekom’s visit to India, the norms have been eased and visas should be easier and quicker to obtain for Indians.
“The problem is that our consulate and embassies were having difficulties in answering and handling the visa demands during the peak travel season in India and it often took up to three weeks for delivering visas. That is simply too long. I am convinced that if we manage to make the visa easier we can double the numbers in a couple of years,” Hanekom explained.
For many Indians, the country is also perceived as an elite and expensive destination just like European countries, but in recent months a weakening Rand has allowed more Indians to visit and spend more.
Another peculiarity of the Indian travellers is that they like to visit several countries on a trip. While in Europe and North America it is simpler due to visa-free travel between nations, it is still a challenge in Africa.
This point was a focus of discussions at the INDABA this year and various African countries have begun looking at how to facilitate such seamless travel in Africa. Hanekom admitted that security and instability issues in some African nations remained an important barrier to visa-free travel within the continent.
The minister also allayed fears of travellers that that some areas in South Africa were unsafe.
Hanneli Slabber, country manager of South Africa Tourism in India, said: “I guess you have to beware of pickpockets anywhere in the world. Indians visiting South Africa enjoy adventure and activities and they buy triple the amount of activities than those from other nations. Indian women are actually leading in terms of numbers and they like the country and feel safe.”
Slabber said that now a lot of vegetarian options, including vegan and Jain food, are available in the country and there were several Indian restaurants. “Our cuisine is influenced by Indian curries as well and a lot of South Africans, not necessarily of Indian origin, can cook good Indian cuisine,” he added.
However, in a blow to tourism from India, the national carrier, South African Airways, facing a shortage of aircraft, has stopped the only direct flights from India (Mumbai) to South Africa, forcing Indian tourists to go for alternatives like Emirates or Qatar with one-stop flights.
Tuesday, 27 October 2015
SOUTH AFRICA: Visa Rules Costing $540 Million A Year In Lost Revenue.
Industry leaders have said the new rules are costing around $540 million a year in lost revenue by making it more complicated for foreigners, drawn by natural attractions such as the Kruger National Park, Table Mountain and the Sterkfontein Caves, to visit.
South Africa’s cabinet accepted recommendations from a committee appointed by President Jacob Zuma in August to look at the rules’ impact, the Department of Home Affairs said in a statement.
A rule requiring a parent to carry a child’s unabridged birth certificate when visiting South Africa will be relaxed to allow the original or a certified copy to be shown just at the visa application stage, the department said.
Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom said in July the rules had to be relaxed after a “worrying drop” in visitor numbers, but Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba argued at the time that they were needed to guard against child trafficking.
Visitor numbers from China dropped sharply because prospective visitors had to appear at the South African embassy or consulate in person, which could require a long trek.
The department promised to “ease the process of application, in particular for tourists,” from countries like China, India and Russia.
These could include a long-term multiple entry visa for over three months and up to three years for frequent travellers, the department said.
South Africa is considering a visa-waiver for India, China, Russia and other countries and visas on arrival for visitors who have valid visas for Britain, the United States, Canada or other countries that apply stringent checks.
In the next three months,
• Implement the capturing of biometrics at ports of entry starting with a pilot at OR Tambo, King Shaka and Cape Town airports;
• Look at introducing an accredited tourism company programme for countries like China, India and Russia;
• Consider a long-term multiple entry visa for a period exceeding three months and up to three years for frequent travellers (for business meetings), business people and academics;
• Principals will issue letters confirming permission for children to travel on school tours; and
• Extend the validity of the parental consent affidavit to six months.
Within a year,
• Add visa facilitation centres, including in Zimbabwe, United Arab Emirates and Botswana;
• Consider a visa-waiver for India, China, Russia and other countries’;
• Look at issuing visas on arrival for persons travelling to SA having in their passports valid visas for the UK, USA and Canada or any other country that applies stringent checks on visitors to their countries, to ease travel for tourists;
• Consider granting a certain category of frequent travellers (business and academics) from Africa a 10 year multiple entry visitor’s visa;
• Open two business visa facilitation centres in Durban and Port Elizabeth, in addition to the centre recently opened in Sandton; and
• Print parents’ details in their passports so that they do not have to carry birth certificates.
In the long term, one year and beyond,
• Install systems for pre-flight checks at international airports;
• Upgrade advance passenger processing systems and implement passenger name record, to enhance risk assessment; and
• Finalise automation of the visa and permitting system.
It says these measures will ensure the balance between national security and economic interests of the country, without compromising child safety.
Friday, 16 October 2015
SOUTH AFRICA: Aviation Will Not Thrive Without Tourism
Derek Hanekom
It is regrettable that about 80% of air traffic in Africa comes from non-African airlines, according to Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom.
Just like Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters, Hanekom was due to speak at the 45th annual general assembly of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (Aasa) taking place in George this week. Both were, however, unable to attend as they had to be present at the ANC’s National General Council.
In a pre-recorded message to the Aasa assembly, Hanekom said aviation is an essential catalyst for the tourism industry as well as trade.
“Tourism cannot survive without aviation and aviation cannot thrive without tourism,” said Hanekom.
That is why he expressed the hope that further progress will be made with the managed liberalisation of the airways in Africa.
“We need more competitive air fares for links to South Africa. That is why it is good that Air China has confirmed a direct flight to and from SA, because China remains a very important market for us.”
He also expressed the hope that new airlines which have entered the SA airline industry will remain viable despite the tough operating environment, so that more people in the country will be able to travel.
“We invested an additional R300m for marketing of tourism until 2018. It is in all of our interest to grow the tourism market in the southern African region,” he said.
“It is very important to ensure that SA benefits from safe and dependable air services.”
It is regrettable that about 80% of air traffic in Africa comes from non-African airlines, according to Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom.
Just like Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters, Hanekom was due to speak at the 45th annual general assembly of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (Aasa) taking place in George this week. Both were, however, unable to attend as they had to be present at the ANC’s National General Council.
In a pre-recorded message to the Aasa assembly, Hanekom said aviation is an essential catalyst for the tourism industry as well as trade.
“Tourism cannot survive without aviation and aviation cannot thrive without tourism,” said Hanekom.
That is why he expressed the hope that further progress will be made with the managed liberalisation of the airways in Africa.
“We need more competitive air fares for links to South Africa. That is why it is good that Air China has confirmed a direct flight to and from SA, because China remains a very important market for us.”
He also expressed the hope that new airlines which have entered the SA airline industry will remain viable despite the tough operating environment, so that more people in the country will be able to travel.
“We invested an additional R300m for marketing of tourism until 2018. It is in all of our interest to grow the tourism market in the southern African region,” he said.
“It is very important to ensure that SA benefits from safe and dependable air services.”
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