SA Tourism and Tencent sign deal to gain direct access of Chinese travelers

The agreement is expected to assist South Africa to gain direct access to millions of potential Chinese travelers to market the country as a destination of choice.

Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane on Tuesday witnessed the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between South African Tourism and Tencent -- a company that owns the popular platform in China called WeChat.

The agreement is expected to assist South Africa to gain direct access to millions of potential Chinese travelers to market the country as a destination of choice.

"South Africa is open for business and offers diverse and world-class attractions, excellent transport services and communications infrastructure, which competes with the best in the world.

"China is South Africa's largest trading partner and we are leveraging on these trade relations to strengthen the people-to-people exchange between the two countries.

"I am pleased that, together with Tencent, South African Tourism in China is laying a solid foundation for growth in visitor arrivals from China to South Africa," Kubayi-Ngubane said.

The partnership will span over two years. It aims to position South Africa as a preferred tourism destination in China through digital marketing campaigns on WeChat as well as other platforms within the Tencent ecosystem.

Tencent will also assist SA Tourism with a knowledge transfer programme on best practices for destination development.

Tencent will advise SA Tourism on how South Africa can accelerate the implementation of WeChat Pay for Chinese travelers visiting South Africa. Tencent will also advise SA Tourism on best practices regarding the Chinese visitor experience.

"This strategic cooperation agreement is one of many initiatives developed to increase arrivals from China to South Africa.

"Tencent, through its popular platform WeChat, will assist us to access multiple segments of the Chinese travel market… Tencent platforms will also enrich the Chinese travelers' experience when they travel to South Africa," Kubayi-Ngubane said.

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)