The number of Chinese tourist to South Africa rose be 25 percent last year, compared with just 20 percent for the total number of foreign tourists to the country in the year.

The rapid rise was attributed to measures taken by South Africa's tourism authorities to attract Chinese travelers in the past five months, Manqoba Nyembezi, tourism officer with the Embassy of South Africa to China, said Tuesday in Shanghai.

China was a fast-growing market for South Africa, said Nyembezi, who was in Shanghai to arrange an exhibition to attract more tourists.

Five months ago, South Africa officially became an approved tourism destination for Chinese visitors.

Twenty-five overseas nations have become approved destinations for Chinese tourists. The number of Chinese travelers going abroad maintained a two-digit growth over the past three years, with 16 million traveling overseas last year.

(People's Daily September 3, 2003)