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WIth the sound of waves rushing gently up along the shore， a Chinese girl was taking her first steps down the aisle. On the beautiful island of Praslin， thousands of miles away from her homeland， this was the beach wedding she had been dreaming about ever since she was a young girl. As part of the wedding， their “love tree，” two trees with branches interlocking， a token of true love in Chinese culture， was planted on the sand of the Seychelles.
“I have heard the Seychelles’ reputation as the’last Eden on the earth’ for a long time. It’s home to several of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The sea color transpires from sapphire and deep blue to sky and light blue， like an oil painting，” the bride Qiao Qiao told ChinAfrica. “Most importantly， both of us are French majors， so the French-speaking Seychelles will be a perfect choice.”
“We both want a wedding featuring nature. Blue sky， sunshine， beach and sea are what we consider necessary for a romantic wedding. Getting married in such a place has been our dream，” the groom， Chen Likai， added.
African romantic
In Chinese society， marriage is always significant and paramount in one’s life， so weddings are taken very seriously. The beautiful islands such as the Maldives， Bali and Aegean have all been popular honeymoon destinations among Chinese young people for years. But recently， some African countries have started to appear on the destination list， drawing attention with their unique charms and luxurious environments.
“Although all of them are islands， the scenery and cultures are very different，” Qiao Qiao said. “Maldives and Bali feature South Asian folklore， while the Seychelles carries connotations of African style， more quiet and peaceful with fewer tourists.”
“In the Seychelles， we went to several small islands， and each of them amazed us with beautiful sights all different from one another. In addition to those islands， African countries also boast great tourism resources such as blooming forests and vast plains and deserts. Its unique culture， kind people and splendid landscapes are all incomparable advantages.”
In 2010， Chinese superstar Daniel Wu’s South Africa wedding drew public attention with unrivalled media coverage and also generated Chinese people’s interest in African travel. Weddings in African countries soon became a rising trend among young couples， who saw the romantic appeal of Africa.
A growing trend
Beijing citizen Zhang Hong grew fond of Tanzania after seeing a sequence of pictures about the country. After browsing the Internet for some travel tips， Zhang and her husband set off to Tanzania on their first wedding anniversary. “It’s a brand new experience.”
Abundant in tourism resources， Africa is today experiencing a blossoming tourism industry with unique characteristics. Statistics from the Central Bank of Seychelles show that the country’s tourism revenue in 2013 totaled $343 million， increasing 11 percent over the previous year.
Many Chinese travel agencies are beginning to offer travel packages to destinations such as Mauritius， South Africa， the Seychelles， Kenya and Mauritania. An increasing number of Chinese tourists are showing interest in African travel. According to Li Hongyan， Chief Representative of China Market of Seychelles Mason’s Travel （PTY） Ltd.， the number of visitors to the Seychelles increased 10.7 percent in 2013， reaching a historic high of 230，272. This includes 7，745 Chinese tourists， a notable rise of 55 percent.
“Thanks to the highly developed online media， the Chinese younger generation can get information about the Seychelles through travel blogs， SNS and their cellphones. Therefore they already have knowledge about what they will see in Africa before their travels begin，” Li said.
Things to improve
After having a wedding in Africa， Qiao Qiao built her own understanding about the Africa tourism industry. She believes that African tourism features unique culture and landscapes， and that this uniqueness is the key to success in the industry.“For Chinese tourists， the problem lies in language and transportation， for instance， in many parts of Africa， the official language is usually French，” she said. “Few African countries have a mature tourism industry， but it’s a characteristic rather than a downside. It could be an appeal to people with an adventurous personality.”
Working in the tourism industry for almost seven years， Li believes that African tourism， despite its appeal of unique landscapes and distinctive people， also has some shortcomings such as low efficiency and a lack of Chinese service.
After doing a lot of investigation for her own wedding， Qiao Qiao was confident about her knowledge of African travel. “Mauritius， the Seychelles， Kenya and many other African countries are visa-free for Chinese citizens or accept visas on arrival， which is one of the reasons for Africa’s increasing appeal to Chinese tourists. However， in some travel forums， you often see a lot of people asking about Malaria prevention and the climate of certain African countries. Consequently， people still have some doubts and are conservative when it comes to traveling in Africa.”
“We also noticed that many Chinese tourists can’t stomach the local food and sometimes even suffer diarrhea. So it’s better for local tourism to make some improvements to meet different needs，”Qiao said.
In the Seychelles， plants grow quickly due to the superior climate of the famous island. The wedding planner Victoria promised to send Qiao Qiao a picture of their love tree on every wedding anniversary. Qiao and her husband have also planned to have a second trip to the Seychelles one day in the future.
“I have heard the Seychelles’ reputation as the’last Eden on the earth’ for a long time. It’s home to several of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The sea color transpires from sapphire and deep blue to sky and light blue， like an oil painting，” the bride Qiao Qiao told ChinAfrica. “Most importantly， both of us are French majors， so the French-speaking Seychelles will be a perfect choice.”
“We both want a wedding featuring nature. Blue sky， sunshine， beach and sea are what we consider necessary for a romantic wedding. Getting married in such a place has been our dream，” the groom， Chen Likai， added.
African romantic
In Chinese society， marriage is always significant and paramount in one’s life， so weddings are taken very seriously. The beautiful islands such as the Maldives， Bali and Aegean have all been popular honeymoon destinations among Chinese young people for years. But recently， some African countries have started to appear on the destination list， drawing attention with their unique charms and luxurious environments.
“Although all of them are islands， the scenery and cultures are very different，” Qiao Qiao said. “Maldives and Bali feature South Asian folklore， while the Seychelles carries connotations of African style， more quiet and peaceful with fewer tourists.”
“In the Seychelles， we went to several small islands， and each of them amazed us with beautiful sights all different from one another. In addition to those islands， African countries also boast great tourism resources such as blooming forests and vast plains and deserts. Its unique culture， kind people and splendid landscapes are all incomparable advantages.”
In 2010， Chinese superstar Daniel Wu’s South Africa wedding drew public attention with unrivalled media coverage and also generated Chinese people’s interest in African travel. Weddings in African countries soon became a rising trend among young couples， who saw the romantic appeal of Africa.
A growing trend
Beijing citizen Zhang Hong grew fond of Tanzania after seeing a sequence of pictures about the country. After browsing the Internet for some travel tips， Zhang and her husband set off to Tanzania on their first wedding anniversary. “It’s a brand new experience.”
Abundant in tourism resources， Africa is today experiencing a blossoming tourism industry with unique characteristics. Statistics from the Central Bank of Seychelles show that the country’s tourism revenue in 2013 totaled $343 million， increasing 11 percent over the previous year.
Many Chinese travel agencies are beginning to offer travel packages to destinations such as Mauritius， South Africa， the Seychelles， Kenya and Mauritania. An increasing number of Chinese tourists are showing interest in African travel. According to Li Hongyan， Chief Representative of China Market of Seychelles Mason’s Travel （PTY） Ltd.， the number of visitors to the Seychelles increased 10.7 percent in 2013， reaching a historic high of 230，272. This includes 7，745 Chinese tourists， a notable rise of 55 percent.
“Thanks to the highly developed online media， the Chinese younger generation can get information about the Seychelles through travel blogs， SNS and their cellphones. Therefore they already have knowledge about what they will see in Africa before their travels begin，” Li said.
Things to improve
After having a wedding in Africa， Qiao Qiao built her own understanding about the Africa tourism industry. She believes that African tourism features unique culture and landscapes， and that this uniqueness is the key to success in the industry.“For Chinese tourists， the problem lies in language and transportation， for instance， in many parts of Africa， the official language is usually French，” she said. “Few African countries have a mature tourism industry， but it’s a characteristic rather than a downside. It could be an appeal to people with an adventurous personality.”
Working in the tourism industry for almost seven years， Li believes that African tourism， despite its appeal of unique landscapes and distinctive people， also has some shortcomings such as low efficiency and a lack of Chinese service.
After doing a lot of investigation for her own wedding， Qiao Qiao was confident about her knowledge of African travel. “Mauritius， the Seychelles， Kenya and many other African countries are visa-free for Chinese citizens or accept visas on arrival， which is one of the reasons for Africa’s increasing appeal to Chinese tourists. However， in some travel forums， you often see a lot of people asking about Malaria prevention and the climate of certain African countries. Consequently， people still have some doubts and are conservative when it comes to traveling in Africa.”
“We also noticed that many Chinese tourists can’t stomach the local food and sometimes even suffer diarrhea. So it’s better for local tourism to make some improvements to meet different needs，”Qiao said.
In the Seychelles， plants grow quickly due to the superior climate of the famous island. The wedding planner Victoria promised to send Qiao Qiao a picture of their love tree on every wedding anniversary. Qiao and her husband have also planned to have a second trip to the Seychelles one day in the future.