Senegal aims to become China's new tourism destination

[webfact]

Senegal aims to become China's new tourism destination
By Digital Content

BEIJING, Sept 4 (Xinhua) -- China and Senegal have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on tourism, allowing Chinese tour groups to visit the West African country with ease.

The document was signed by Shao Qiwei, director of China's National Tourism Administration (NTA), and Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, Senegal's tourism and air transport minster.

Shao said Africa has become a popular destination for Chinese tourists in recent years and Senegal will be one of the key destination with its rich tourism resources.

China is willing to boost cooperation with Senegal in personnel exchange and aviation facilitation to advance a deeper friendly bilateral relations, Shao said.

Tourism is an important part of Senegal's economy, with mild climate, attractive beaches and fishing.

Sarr said Senegal hopes to attract investment from Chinese tourism companies and tourists will be welcomed by the country's beautiful scenery, blending culture and hospitable people.

The opening of Senegal to Chinese tourists expands the list of countries they can travel to 151 countries for tourism purposes, according to the MOU.

Chinese tourists made a total of 98.2 million trips overseas last year, climbing 18 percent from a year earlier, according to the NTA data. (Xinhua)

-- TNA 2014-09-04

[ggt]

Does Senegal have a lot of free stuff...free tourist attractions...cheap hotels, 7/11s. and parks where they can eat a defecate...?

[Lupatria]

What's the slogan for this deal?

How about:

"Have a nice holiday and meet sister Ebola in person"

[timmyp]

This is great because Chinese people think so highly of Africans.

[Mudcrab]

Great news for Phuket.

[Jingthing]

Interesting. Senegal is 93 percent Muslim.

[laobali]

This is great because Chinese people think so highly of Africans.

Tourism is an important part of Senegal's economy, with mild climate, attractive beaches and fishing.

Sarr said Senegal hopes to attract investment from Chinese tourism companies and tourists will be welcomed by the country's beautiful scenery, blending culture and hospitable people.

It's a match made in heaven. Apart from their love of Africans, Chinese tourists are known for their love of beaches and fishing, plus Senegal is just a stone's throw from China's own coastline – almost 13,000 km as the crow flies (Peking ducks too?).

Could there possibly be an ulterior motive?

[Jingthing]

There could a lot of ulterior motives.

Reinforcing the China economic domination in Africa thing.

China has taken the lead in that.

Owning the tourism infrastructure there, so taking out most of the profits.

Sending their masses to limited number of places so they are Chinese spaces ... avoiding too much alien influence and waking up to new ideas while abroad ... prevention of rocking the political boat ... the one party system there very badly wants to STAY in power.

Any others?

Reason NOT to go?

Ebola

Edited September 4, 2014 by Jingthing

[Bwanatickey]

Oh the lucky Chinese tourists will have a cultural exchange, I can see their homeward bound suitcases stuffed with Senegal music CD,s

The music is very popular in certain regions of France.

[LawrenceChee]

Probably entirely true why when one swings over to the Caribbean one would see the Chinese has taken over most of the infrastructure projects there

The Chinese trade with no interest in your politician systems and other issues you may have in our country and does not judge you by a string of explicit demands and conditions

They are singular minded in some aspects and wants to trade ...perhaps explain why they have made so much progress while the west have been languishing in establishing ties in African nations and been despised for their imposition of culture, values, religions and political ambitions

Senegal has gone ahead ... I have 4 clients who are sending their sons to Chinese Tsinghua University for studies after their graduate studies in MIT and Cornell and their children having the best of east / west will be influencers in their own right when they are old enough to take over the business

[bunuel]

There could a lot of ulterior motives.

Reinforcing the China economic domination in Africa thing.

China has taken the lead in that.

Owning the tourism infrastructure there, so taking out most of the profits.

Sending their masses to limited number of places so they are Chinese spaces ... avoiding too much alien influence and waking up to new ideas while abroad ... prevention of rocking the political boat ... the one party system there very badly wants to STAY in power.

Any others?

Reason NOT to go?

Ebola

Wonder how many posters here have actually been to Senegal. I did a press tour of the country two decades ago, and I was particularly impressed by the Casamance region South of the Gambia, which has fabulous beaches around Cap Skirring, and which already has a quality tourism infrastructure built by the French. Casamance, unlike the rest of the country North of the Gambia, is NOT a Muslim region, with most of the inhabitants practising forms of animism.

I also met with the Minister of Tourism and a number of tourism professionals, and was very impressed by their honesty and openness. They want to rid themselves of their dependence on the French market, and

the Chinese are a good alternative. The Chinese are already present in African countries in numbers as parr of the Chinese economic expansion there, and doubtless the Chinese already in Africa could use a beach resort catering specifically to Chinese groups and their needs - just as Cancun caters to Americans. By the way, the Chinese on the ground get along pretty well with Africans, and the Africans very much appreciate their cheap products and infrastructure projects.

Seems like a win-win !

[outsider]

Good news. Leave Thailand alone. Thank you.

[Jingthing]

Senegal does sound like an interesting tourist destination.

Checked it out on Lonely Planet.

[RickBradford]

^^

They have a terrific musical culture, as well.

Youssou N'Dour is perhaps the best-known, but there is a string of guys who have been international stars - Baaba Maal, Ismael Lo, Orchestra Baobab.

[zydeco]

Maybe the Russians can start going there, too.

[copa8]

Good news. Leave Thailand alone. Thank you.

yup...just let only white europeans, americans, australians (s)expats in...thailand for non-asians only.

[LawrenceChee]

Probably won't work since most of these "expats" only support one industry and has only enough pension for a beer or two and then regale the girls with their repeated stories of old travel glories ...

You need the rest for supporting the tourism business staying at hotels restaurants shopping and such. I would probably go as far as to define them as real tourists and not sexpats

[piersbeckett]

This is great because Chinese people think so highly of Africans.

Tourism is an important part of Senegal's economy, with mild climate, attractive beaches and fishing.

Sarr said Senegal hopes to attract investment from Chinese tourism companies and tourists will be welcomed by the country's beautiful scenery, blending culture and hospitable people.

It's a match made in heaven. Apart from their love of Africans, Chinese tourists are known for their love of beaches and fishing, plus Senegal is just a stone's throw from China's own coastline almost 13,000 km as the crow flies (Peking ducks too?).

Could there possibly be an ulterior motive?

Chinese - ulterior motive - surely not - you'll be saying that money is their god next

[LawrenceChee]

Don't really think so ...they now have their own vogue magazines Conde Naste and travel leisure magazines all filled with wanderlust ideas on where to go next

So it's just good marketing working on their target audience ...