Last year, the Nigerian government established a tourism organ to better promote the country's rich cultural heritage and tourist attractions.
"Chinese travelers' footprints have been expanding in Africa, covering more destinations and with more in-depth and diversified travel experiences," Xu says.
In addition to traditional destinations like South Africa, Kenya and Egypt, an increasing number of Chinese travelers have made inroads into southern African countries, such as Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, as well as African islands like Madagascar, Seychelles and Mauritius, he adds.
Particularly, bookings to southern Africa and Morocco in the continent's northwest have seen substantial increases, with year-on-year growth rates of 400 percent and 550 percent, respectively, Utour reports.
As for travel experiences, the length of tours to African destinations is on the rise, from the original eight to 10 days, to 14 to 18 days, allowing for a deeper exploration of what the continent has to offer, including various national parks, wild camps, yacht and desert trips, according to booking data from Utour.
"With the growing demand, new travel experiences in Africa are emerging, such as long cruises and island vacations," Xu says.
Bookings for African island and cruise experiences have doubled so far this year.
During the May Day holiday from May 1 to 5, Africa was one of the most popular destinations abroad for Chinese travelers.
Egypt, Morocco, Kenya and Mauritius are popular country destinations, according to Chinese travel platform Mafengwo.
Although the Great Migration (involving more than 1 million wildebeests and zebras) didn't start in May, many travelers still chose to visit African destinations, such as Kenya, to immerse themselves in the natural environment, observes Kai Wen, who runs an African tours operation in Southwest China's Sichuan province.
Their favorite activities included riding in cross-country vehicles across the savannah, where they can observe elephants, rhinos, lions and giraffes, Kai says.
The pyramids, the Sphinx, and Luxor Temple are among the most alluring ancient sites that have drawn many Chinese tourists to Egypt, says Wang Peizhong, who runs a travel agency in Egypt.
