Travel to Africa from China has almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels and visitors are keen to experience the continent. There has, however, been a shift in how the market travels, which presents numerous new opportunities for African travel operators.
This is according to Lin Yu, Managing Director of Travel World China, who provided some insights into the Chinese market during a webinar hosted by the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA).
Chinese market recovery
Yu highlighted Alipay data that indicated that expenditure during Chinese New Year celebrations in February increased by 140% compared with 2023, saying it hinted at a “burgeoning luxury travel market”.
While China’s tourism sector took longer to recover than originally anticipated, some markets were almost back at pre-pandemic levels. Yu said Africa as a whole had seen nearly 100% recovery. Key to this was the availability of international flights, which had not been a hindrance for the African market.
Yu…