SA exposed to Chinese market

SOUTH African Tourism and a group of seven local exhibitors and representatives from SAA and Cathay Pacific Airlines are in Kunming, China to attend the China International Travel Mart (CITM) 2001 which will begin on Thursday (November 8) and end on Sunday. The group is being led by SA Tourism's gm: Asia/Australia, Sarel Opperman. Following the show, SA Tourism will take part in a series of roadshows in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing organised by the South African Embassy. Opperaman says that many countries, including South Africa, are hotly competing for China's fast-growing outbound market which is now ranked fifth in the world according to the World Tourism Organisation (WTO). The WTO forecasts that China will be the leading source market worldwide by 2020. Opperman adds that there will be a high emphasis on product training this year. "The Chinese know little about South Africa and the main thrust- particularly of the workshops - will be to educate the trade on South Africa as a favoured tourism destination, stressing its world-class infrastructure, quality accommodation and tourism experiences as well as the quality of its formalised transport, such as luxury coach travel." CITM 2000 attracted over 10 000 tourism stakeholders and 48 000 visitors including 1 359 buyers from 43 countries and regions. (Miguel de Sousa)