THE FIRST-EVER direct service to Beijing to be launched by South African Airways later this year is expected to substantially grow South African corporate business to China.
Jenny Campbell, owner, Travel Partners South Africa, saw a 30 per cent increase in bookings to China last year and expects the new air link to “really push up demand”.
The only other South African buyer at the show, Leona Meadows, owner, Select Incentive Group Travel, added: “Demand for China has been strong for South African businessmen because it is a good sourcing ground for products that can be repackaged and sold back home. Much of my corporate traffic to China also comprises attendees of trade shows held here.”
Both buyers said the only difficulty in selling China was the limited supply of quality hotels within the vicinity of convention centres, with hotel star ratings falling short of clients’ expectations.
Meadows said that she had had corporate clients demanding a change of hotel after realising that the local five-star hotel was not “in the client’s mind” the equivalent of a five-star international hotel.
“That’s my other mission on this trip, to meet the hotel representatives and see for myself what the hotels really offer,” she said.
