{"id":47901,"date":"2019-12-19T04:49:40","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T04:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/?p=47901"},"modified":"2019-12-19T04:49:40","modified_gmt":"2019-12-19T04:49:40","slug":"south-africa-invest-in-wechat-to-lure-chinese-tourists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/south-africa-invest-in-wechat-to-lure-chinese-tourists\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa invest in WeChat to lure Chinese tourists"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>South Africa signs deal with Tencent to boost Chinese tourists , and invest in WeChat Marketing to attract more Chinese independant travelers with high income.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">South Africa along with other African countries has become a popular overseas travelling <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">destination for Chinese tourists, driven by their increasing spending power and demand for <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">in-depth travel experiences. The huge uptake of such a tendency to travel is attributed to <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">demonstration effect. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Most people just follow what others do, or the unique experience that <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">others have felt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">youth Africa has signed a two-year agreement with Chinese Internet firm Tencent , which <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">will use its popular WeChat platform to market tourism to millions in China, the South <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">African tourism minister said on Tuesday. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/tech\/enterprises\/article\/2138483\/south-africas-naspers-sell-us106-billion-tencent-shares-fund-new\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tencent will assist SA Tourism with a knowledge transfer programme on best practices for <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">destination development, and will advise SA Tourism on how South Africa can accelerate the im<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">plementation of WeChat Pay for Chinese travellers visiting South Africa. Tencent WeChat will also <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">advise SA Tourism on best practices in Chinese visitor experience by making use of QR <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">codes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/gctek.net\/wechat-the-emerging-social-media-app\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is WeChat Here\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-47957\" src=\"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/wechat.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"652\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/wechat.jpg 652w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/wechat-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/wechat-150x86.jpg 150w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/wechat-250x143.jpg 250w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/wechat-350x201.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">South Africa is targeting key untapped tourist markets such as China and India as it promotes <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">tourism as a catalyst to help kick-start its struggling economy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>9% of the GDP<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Travel and tourism contributed around 426 billion rand ($29 billion), just under 9 percent of <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">GDP, to South Africa\u2019s economy in 2018, making it the largest tourism market on the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">continent, the World Travel and Tourism Council says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Strategic collaboration<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThis strategic co-operation agreement is one of many initiatives developed to increase <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">arrivals from China to South Africa,\u201d Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">in a statement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">President Cyril Ramaphosa re-affirmed the tourism sector as being crucial for the future of <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">South Africa, with the country aiming to double international tourist arrivals from 10.5m to <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">21m by 2030, and Chinese travellers are expected to make up a significant proportion of that. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breakingtravelnews.com\/news\/article\/south-africa-seeks-china-boost-with-tencent-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">source\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-47959\" src=\"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tencent_x_South_African_Tourism_MoU-700x445.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tencent_x_South_African_Tourism_MoU-700x445.jpg 700w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tencent_x_South_African_Tourism_MoU-700x445-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tencent_x_South_African_Tourism_MoU-700x445-150x95.jpg 150w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tencent_x_South_African_Tourism_MoU-700x445-250x159.jpg 250w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tencent_x_South_African_Tourism_MoU-700x445-350x222.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 2018, Chinese tourist spending in South Africa increased 69% from R1.4bn to R2.4bn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Annual visitor numbers have almost hit 100,000 and length of stay has increased by four days <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(from 7 to 11 days) from 2017 to 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cSouth Africa is open for business and remains an appealing destination for Chinese <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">travellers. I am pleased that, together with Tencent, South African Tourism China is laying a <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">solid foundation for growth in visitor arrivals from China to South Africa. This strategic co- <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">operation agreement is one of many initiatives developed by the South African Tourism <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">office in China to increase Chinese arrivals to South Africa. I am pleased to see progress <\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>being made through our collective efforts to get South Africa China-ready.<\/em>\u201d Added Tourism <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pristine white beaches, legendary Table Mountain and safari tours to see big game animals <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">make South Africa a popular tourist attraction with millions of mainly European visitors each <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">year.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>If you want to promote on WeChat<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dezirefoundation.com\/2019\/08\/checklist-for-wechat-promotion.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> here is the guide<\/a><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-47958\" src=\"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/weChat-promotion.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"618\" height=\"517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/weChat-promotion.png 618w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/weChat-promotion-300x251.png 300w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/weChat-promotion-150x125.png 150w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/weChat-promotion-250x209.png 250w, https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/weChat-promotion-350x293.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>The luxury experience<\/h3>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWe would like to provide more luxurious experiences for middle class Chinese tourists, and <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">promote more of our authentic culture, adventurous features and human centred experiences<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>to cater for their increasingly diversified demand,\u201d<\/em> said Mansoor Mohammed, chief Asia <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">representative of South Africa Tourism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Norman Tam, general manager of Tencent International Business Group (IBG), said, \u201cWe <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">look forward to supporting SA Tourism with our innovative and unique platforms, as well as <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">providing them valuable insight about Chinese consumers in order to enrich their travel <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">experience.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This year, South African Tourism launched its 2019 theme in the\u00a0China\u00a0market,\u00a0Wild<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Authentic South Africa, with a goal of raising awareness of South Africa as an appealing <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">destination to experience land and ocean safaris.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The collaboration will span over two years and aims to position South Africa as one of <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chinese travellers\u2019 preferred tourism destinations through digital marketing campaigns on <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">WeChat and other platforms within the Tencent ecosystem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">There are some few things however that SouthAfrica has to do in preparation for the Chinese <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">visitors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The tourism market did receive the news of the lucrative deal well, though, according to <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Gillian Saunders, an independent tourism adviser, who was quoted in\u00a0Tourism Update.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Saunders admitted that the deal was, at the very least, a step in the right direction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>China is the largest outbound Travel Market in the world<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cChina is the biggest outbound market in the world, growing faster than most, and they are <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">the big spenders,\u201d she said. <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">However, a lot of groundwork needs to be done before SA Tourism can really benefit from <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">attracting the attention of Chinese travellers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Saunders noted that, before South Africa can be China-ready, there are a few things that need <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">to be ticked off the checklist, the three most important being:<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Rolling out mobile paying systems <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While South Africa enjoys a number of different \u2014 and safe \u2014 payment systems, the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">country has yet to catch up with the advanced world in utilising mobile apps for transactions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>WeChat Pay<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The SA-Tencent deal will most likely allow Chinese travellers to use WeChat Pay for quick, <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">safe and secure transactions. However, there will be a lot of red-tape to get through before the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">local markets welcome this new method.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Air connectivity and quick visa turnaround times <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Department of Home Affairs is working tirelessly to adjust its visa rules for a number of <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">countries, in a bid to improve South Africa\u2019s influx of tourists.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">According to Saunders, China\u2019s visa rules and turnaround times for approval need to be <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">prioritised. Essentially, she added, we are in competition with countries like Australia who, <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">for a number of years, have been rolling out China-ready strategies in a bid to increase traffic <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">from that spending market.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThere should be a two-day turnaround when it comes to visas, as this is what Australia <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">commits to when issuing visas to Chinese visitors,\u201d she said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Safety and security matter for Chinese Tourists<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This is one of the most critical issues that affect our standing with international travellers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Crime is on the increase and while it is generally understood that a considerable investment <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">of time and resources is needed to address the issue, there are short-term measures that can be<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">put in place to assure travellers that South Africa is headed in the right direction, with regards<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">to reducing crime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">At the root of it, is using the WeChat platform to reassure Chines travellers of the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">government\u2019s efforts in addressing the scourge of crime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you want to attract Chinese Tourists in South Africa READ THIS<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/1million-chinese-tourists-south-africa-great-opportunities-tourism-players\/\">https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/1million-chinese-tourists-south-africa-great-opportunities-tourism-players\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/SAT-000-1608G-e1547118243177.jpg\" width=\"800\" height=\"607\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/marketing-strategies-attract-chinese-tourists\/\">https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/marketing-strategies-attract-chinese-tourists\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/50-more-chinese-tourists-in-africa-and-how-to-take-advantage\/\">https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/50-more-chinese-tourists-in-africa-and-how-to-take-advantage\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Africa signs deal with Tencent to boost Chinese tourists , and invest in WeChat Marketing to attract more Chinese independant travelers with high income.\u00a0 South Africa along with other African countries has become a popular overseas travelling destination for Chinese tourists, driven by their increasing spending power and demand for in-depth travel experiences. The&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":47959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[488,224],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-marketing","category-social-media"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tencent_x_South_African_Tourism_MoU-700x445.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p67DXD-csB","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47901"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47960,"href":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47901\/revisions\/47960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}