Cultivating Chinese tourists' overseas dreams(2)

Yang Jun, chairman of the Qingdao-based Jin Yi Tong Group, says his company is branching out from construction machinery to invest $400 million in tourism ventures on two islands in Cape Verde off the coast of western Africa.

"The (tourism) market there is already very big," he says. "The airline travel there is very convenient. The weather is very nice and it is like spring all year round. It has very beautiful beaches and clear seawater. At present, it has about 600,000 tourists a year, mainly from Europe, but the country aims to make it 5.5 million people in three years, and many of them will come from China."

Sino Travel International Air Service Company, which since 2008 has turned a brisk trade providing tailor-made charters and bookings for predominately Chinese companies and business institutions, is also predicting an upsurge in tourism to Africa and are preparing for it.

Currently, 60 percent of their business is providing travel arrangements to more than 20 African countries, which translates to about 30,000 trips to and from Africa and China annually.

Sino Travel's Chairman, Zhan Chengbing, says the company is now exploring the possibility of opening dedicated tourism services in Africa that will sell flights, hotel bookings, rental cars and tours to inbound Chinese visitors.

With China already the fourth-largest country of origin for visitors to South Africa last year, Zhan believes the potential is there.

"The market is boundless," he says. "But it needs a lot more time to grow. It is promising."

Zhan says while the future for China-Africa tourism is looking bright in the long term, right now expensive airfares, limited airline capacity, and complicated and pricey visas are holding everything back.

Wu agrees.

"We would suggest that African countries should learn from Southeast Asian countries to simplify the (visa) process," he says.

Avid Chinese traveler Zheng Rui says price is definitely the biggest factor preventing him from journeying to Africa. The 31-year-old information technology worker, who has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia, says he had planned to go on a trip to Africa but scrapped the idea after he priced it up.

"I planned to go to Kenya and Egypt last year," he says. "But the air ticket was quite expensive, and the local costs were quite expensive. For 10 days in Kenya, I needed about $3,000 for one person. It is double the price it costs to go to Europe. For me, with $5,000 I can have a great trip to Europe, but not in Africa. I am not saying I cannot afford it, I am just saying I don't think it's worth the money, because I can spend the same amount of money but not get the same experience."

Both Zheng and Gong Jiayi say concerns about personal safety and security have made them tentative about taking the leap and booking travel to Africa.

Wu says safety is a common concern among Chinese travelers, although he says in reality, Rome and Paris can be just as dangerous.

Deng Meijia, 17, recently traveled to Tanzania with classmates and teachers on a nine-day trip organized by the British School of Beijing.

She did not find the country or the people frightening or threatening at all.

Deng says the group tour, which involved a safari, some cultural tourism and a few days of humanitarian outreach work, was an amazing experience that has left her wanting to return.

"I loved the local people," she says. "When people see you they wave at you and smile. Beijing is so polluted. It is different in Africa. You can see the blue sky. The air is clean. It's beautiful there."

Yang says the Chinese love of natural beauty, and Africa's abundance of it, were among the reasons his company Jin Yi Tong decided to invest in tourism there.

It's certainly a draw card for young professionals, Gong says.

Rather than go it alone, she says she is considering traveling to Africa with a group for safety. What is not up for debate is making the trip itself.

"I will visit Africa eventually," she says. "It may be with a group, or it may be with friends, but I will go."