In brief
A senior tourism official in South Africa said the country is tapping China as a future tourism anchor, launching an Electronic Travel Authorization and calling for more authentic experiences like those of the Venda communities. South Africa also plans to train guides in Mandarin and offer a broader range of cultural and culinary encounters to appeal to Chinese visitors.
South Africa is positioning Chinese tourists as a pivotal force for its future tourism industry, according to Nkhumeleni Victor Vele, director‑general of the Department of Tourism, who spoke to Xinhua on Friday, October 31, 2026. The ministry is tightening travel access with an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), improving flight links, and proposing new packages that spotlight local cultures, such as those of the Venda people in Limpopo’s rural villages.
Vele explained that South Africa’s recent launch of the ETA system, which began as a pilot with travelers from China, India, Indonesia and Mexico during the nation’s G20 presidency, now accepts applications from Chinese visitors online. The system promises approvals within 24 hours and eliminates the need for an embassy visit.
"China leads applications through the system," Vele said, marking a surge in interest from the Chinese market which he described as an encouraging sign of renewed enthusiasm for visiting South Africa.
"They want an experience that is uniquely authentic, which becomes a lot more memorable over time, and therefore meaningful," Vele conveyed.
While Cape Town and Kruger National Park remain the flagships of South Africa’s tourism appeal, they were neither the focus nor the exhaustive representation of the country’s hamlets and culinary tapestries, Vele noted. This observation points to a historical pattern where Chinese visitors primarily engage with well‑known attractions, thereby overlooking cultural communities such as the Venda villagers of Limpopo.
To address what Vele called a gap, the Department is expanding the narrative to include the Northern Cape’s desert landscapes, its distinct wildlife, and local produce – notably Karoo lamb and the region’s wines. The Ministries name Southern Africa’s nature and food as a complement to the cultural experience so that visitors can
