South Africa’s new membership of the Bric group of Brazil, Russia, India and China, together with heavy Chinese investment in Africa, will lead to steady growth in both business travel and tourism between China and this country, according to local manager of Cathay Pacific Airways David Ryan.
Cathay Pacific’s worldwide flights were badly affected during the recession, while flights between Hong Kong and Johannesburg remained among the most profitable. “It was one of the few bright spots in the financial crisis,” Ryan said.
With the downturn over and the Far East the first region to recover, Cathay was profitable again and the route was attracting growing passenger numbers particularly from China.
Pointing out that China was investing heavily in a number of African countries, particularly Angola, and a lot of Chinese labour was travelling there, Ryan said that South Africa was one of the few airline markets on the continent big enough to justify direct flights and therefore was growing in importance as a gateway.
South Africa itself was also attracting investment from China, particularly from small businesses, he said. “The Chinese are great entrepreneurs and are quick to see opportunities in the market.”
It had also become easier for an increasing number of Chinese who could afford to leave their country for leisure as well as business, and they were now ready to go further afield than neighbouring countries.
China itself was a particularly attractive market for tourism because, like Japan, it had retained its individual culture that made it a less familiar destination than those in Europe and North America. It had become easier for foreign visitors to move around since the Olympics had been held in Beijing, causing changes such as street signs that could be read by Europeans and taxi drivers who could speak English.
“The Beijing Olympics helped to arouse interest in China and changed people’s perception of it in the same way that hosting the soccer World Cup changed perceptions of South Africa. It made people realise how much China has to offer.”
Others in the travel industry share his views on the outlook for business with China. Among them are the chief executive of Club Travel Wally Gaynor, managing director of Travel Counsellors in South Africa Will Puk and executives of Singapore Airlines which, like Cathay, is already experiencing growth in the market.
Sally George, the business development manager for Singapore Airlines in South Africa, said: “We are seeing an increase in Chinese passengers to Johannesburg and Cape Town. Corporate travel from this country has grown and we have put on an additional flight from Singapore to Hong Kong that leaves at a convenient time for passengers arriving from Johannesburg.”
Lim Wei-Ping, the Singapore Airlines manager in the Western Cape, said: “We do see a steady increase in the number of passengers arriving from China. It has been growing for more than a year and is clearly not a temporary thing.”
Puk agreed, saying: “Business with China is growing by leaps and bounds.” - Audrey D’Angelo