Since COVID, South Africa welcomes its first Chinese tourist group

Friday, March 31, 2023

On Wednesday, the tourism authority of South Africa welcomed from China its first group of tourists since the outbreak of the pandemic.

At the OR Tambo International Airport, for the 13 Chinese tourists, a welcoming ritual with the local dancers was organized in Johannesburg.

These tourists arrived at the airport on an Air China flight. It became the first group of tourists from China into SA after the pandemic broke out.

The chief operations officer of South African Tourism, Nomasonto Ndlovu, said that the flight carrying the tourists from China is an extremely positive initiation that will make the tourism industry of the country pick up more rapidly and help nurture the hampered economy.

Ndlovu said that China is their strategic tourism source market.

This flight of tourists highlights a major milestone, and SA Tourism will carry on working with all partners to make sure they develop this market properly.

The board chairperson of Gauteng Tourism Authority, Judy Nwokedi, said that Chinese tourist arrival will assist SA to make use of greater number of tour guides and revive its poverty and unemployment related problems, assuring that they will carry on training tour guides in Mandarin that would help them communicate in a better way with Chinese travellers.

At the OR Tambo International Airport, Chinese tourists take photos on March 29th, 2023.

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