JOHANNESBURG – News last week of the killing of a German tourist near Kruger National Park and the shooting death of two men on the beach in Camps Bay rocked South Africa’s fledgling tourism industry, underscoring the country’s highest crime rate and lack of protection. and security.
The weekly Inside EWN roundtable hosted a roundtable with experts to read about protecting tourists entering and leaving the country.
The auditors had the opportunity to meddle in the issue when Sister called to say that the protection and security factor in the country is an internal work.
“What happened to the care of local tourists, because as a South African traveling to my own country, I wouldn’t know what to do if I was diverted on a trip?The tourism industry will have to include communities around tourist sites to make some protection for everyone.
However, South African Tourism Business Council Director General Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa said South Africans deserve not to forget that our tourism industry is new compared to other countries.
“While tourism is a driving force for many economic aspects, we must also not forget that tourism is a new industry because we started to be more active after apartheid. That’s when we started playing a role in inviting the world to our country, so it’s still a very vital industry in the grand scheme of the economy.
But as the tourism industry has flourished, crime and violence have also increased, shaking off the long-awaited spirit of returning to some sort of normalcy after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mpumalanga tourism ambassador and tourism security officer Lindiwe Mthombeni, who participated in the discussion, said educating network members is a vital tool to fight crime.
“What we want to do is teach communities about the importance of tourism and what it means to protect tourism and campaign with network members. “
_Écoutez the verbal exchange below. _