Following a dramatic decrease in Chinese, Japanese and Korean tourist arrivals to South Africa over the last two years, all three markets are now showing clear signs of positive growth, says Bradley Brouwer, President: Asia Pacific, SA Tourism. He adds that the SA tourism trade should make the most of this opportunity and “not be caught sleeping”.
Looking at the last two years’ arrival figures, Chinese arrivals to SA fell by 23.3% in 2014 compared with 2013. By July 2015, these arrivals were already down by 29.1% compared with 2014, says Brouwer. In the first eight months of 2015 the total number of Japanese visitors to SA dropped by 29.6%, compared with the same period in 2014. Korean visitor arrivals have already decreased by 23.9% by July 2015 compared with 2014, while they fell by 7.6% in 2014, compared with 2013.
Ironically, these severe declines followed impressive growth in Asian tourist arrival figures in the years leading up to 2013. Speaking at a recent seminar in Stellenbosch, Brouwer ascribed the declines to SA’s visa regulations and xenophobic attacks, the Ebola virus, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak and South African Airways’ cancellation of its non-stop service between Johannesburg and Beijing in March 2015; all three of these markets use Beijing and Hong Kong as access hubs.
However, with SA’s visa regulations being relaxed, as well as the launch of Air China’s non-stop service between Johannesburg and Beijing via codesharing with SAA in October 2015, the picture is becoming rosier. China has become the world’s largest outbound tourism source market and the country with the biggest outbound tourism consumption, while in Korea prospected growth for the travel industry is 5% to 8%. The Japanese economy is also expected to strengthen slightly due to a low unemployment rate, rising wages, a weak yen and low oil prices. Brouwer is positive that SA will see “huge growth in Japanese arrivals from October 2015 onwards”.
When attracting Asian tourists, Brouwer said the trade should bear in mind that safety and security, good value for money and impeccable service were still key. “These markets are also very sensitive towards communicable diseases, and especially Japanese tourists need reassurance about personal safety and hygiene.”
Sharing tips on how to make Asian tourists feel welcome, he suggested: flying their national flags outside hotels as they arrive; providing free Internet access as well as welcome signs, menus, brochures and visitor notes in their languages; and being punctual, respectful and courteous. “Let them feel that you value their business, e.g. when a large group arrives at your hotel, ask your GM or another person in a senior position to welcome them.”
For Chinese tourists specifically, Brouwer’s advice was to offer: hot water and green tea; chopsticks; congee breakfast or Chinese food if possible; small courtesy gifts on arrival; easy access for currency exchange; and notes in Chinese on how to dial numbers for services.
