Mandarin helps South Africa tourists feel at home

The late South African president Nelson Mandela once said, "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."

This philosophy is being fulfilled in Mandela's country, which is reaping benefits from teaching Mandarin to 20 tour guides and people working in the tourism sector in 2016.

The guides say the training is helping them communicate well with tourists from China.

Tshepiso Mokoka, a 22-year-old guide with Maropeng A'Africa Leisure at South Africa's Cradle of Civilisation World Heritage site, says she has spoken to more than 1,000 Mandarin speakers since training. She says the lessons have improved her communication with tourists from China.

Mokoka says:"The training added value to the way I do my duties. I work for a World Heritage site and we have a lot of Chinese tourists. The training has made it easier and more comfortable to communicate with them. The Chinese express deep shock and excitement when I talk to them in their language. It is strengthening ties between China and South Africa and it is also increasing the number of Chinese tourists coming to the World Heritage site."

Mokoka believes that teaching Mandarin to more people in the tourism sector will encourage Chinese people to choose South Africa as their number one tourist destination.

The 20 South Africans did three months of intensive training in Mandarin. They were also taught about Chinese culture, entrepreneurship and kung fu among other things. Mokoka, who has been a tour guide for two years, is leaving her country on Sept 2 to study at Yangzhou University in China. She has been offered a scholarship to do Mandarin for a year and will return to her job after completing her studies. The 20 tourism workers visited China from February 24 to March 22 to get some experience of life in the country. They visited the Ming Tombs, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, He Garden and Slender West Lake.

Kabelo Mothupi, owner and tour guide at Merakeng Tours and Adventures, says the trip to China helped him to improve his Mandarin, learn about Chinese culture and boost his confidence in speaking Chinese. Mothupi says: "The training has immensely benefited me and so did the trip to China. I came back feeling extremely assertive and now it's up to us to develop and strengthen that intimate relationship with Chinese travelers. Speaking in Mandarin makes them feel at home and hopefully they will keep coming to South Africa. As a small enterprise we will benefit a lot. This will improve the experience of our tourists at every step of their journey and grow tourism further."

South Africa saw a year-on-year growth record of 38 percent in the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country in 2016. Mothupi says the increase shows the Chinese have an appetite for visiting the country. He believes that South Africa can greatly benefit from the 121 million-plus Chinese tourists who traveled overseas last year.

He says: "A welcoming greeting for a traveler in the language they understand gives them confidence that they can get information. My ultimate aim is to improve the experience of all our tourists at every step of their journey. Because language is the river which connects people, knowledge of language helps break down barriers. As a tourist guide, I will be able to explain the fascinating stories of our sites much better, and the Chinese travelers will understand us better and spread the word when they return home."

The CEO of South African Tourism, Sisa Ntshona, says the training in Mandarin has improved communication with tourists from China. He says this will, in the long run, improve customer service and encourage Chinese people to return and spend money in the country.

Ntshona says his company wants to employ young staff who know how to sell the country. They will be learning Mandarin, Russian and other languages like German, particularly those of target markets.

Mandarin is also being taught in more than 44 schools in the country. The police, Department of Higher and Tertiary Education staff and other government officials have been trained in the language.

Research has shown that the total spending by Chinese tourists in the country will reach $100 million in 2017.