People visit the Twyfelfontein rock engraving site in Kunene Region, Namibia, March 26, 2024. Twyfelfontein is one of the largest and most concentrated sites of rock engravings in Africa to date. The site was recognized by UNESCO as Namibia's first World Heritage in 2007.(Photo: Xinhua)

China's outbound tourism market has continued to boom, with Africa becoming a popular destination for Chinese tourists. China-Africa tourism is heating up and seeing expanding cooperation, especially in the services sector, which will inject impetus into economic development, industry insiders said.

The potential of China-Africa tourism cooperation is huge, Lewis Aschalew, chairman of the Association of Ethiopian Community in China, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"More Chinese tourism companies have to first go to Africa and get established, because the only way that you can fulfill the demands of Chinese travelers is by sending more tourism companies from China," said Aschalew.

They can organize transport, food, accommodation and places to visit - a selection of packages, said Aschalew.

Tourism is one of pillar industries with great potential in Kenya and some other African countries, a director of a travel agency in Kenya told the Global Times on Wednesday at a sideline event of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, adding that China is a populous country with a large middle class that wants to travel and has good purchasing power.

Yet there is still huge potential to be released, Sena Voncujovi, an Africa-China relations analyst from Ghana at Development Reimagined told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"I see a lot of Chinese businesspeople in Ghana but only a few tourists. However, we have a lot to offer. For example, the beautiful Wli Waterfalls, close to my hometown, is the highest waterfall in Ghana and the tallest in West Africa," said Voncujovi.

China and Africa have been working together to boost cooperation in the tourism sector, aiming to promote services sectors such as catering, accommodation and sightseeing.