South Africa’s rampant crime is a major threat to the growth of the country’s tourism industry, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus Van Schalkwyk said on Monday.
Speaking at the national conference of the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry, he said crime was one of the main factors preventing potentially millions more tourists from visiting the country.
”Research conducted by SA Tourism has indicated that while South Africa is in many respects an attractive tourist destination, fear of crime could be a possible deterrent to potential visitors,” he said.
The 2005 SA Tourism brand-tracking survey showed more than 22-million potential tourists — about one in three of the total surveyed — had not visited the country because of fears of crime.
”Crime is therefore an issue we as industry have to deal with if we want to reach our target of 10-million arrivals by 2010,” he said.
Currently ranked 23rd by the Union of International Associations as a top meeting destination in the world, South Africa has set itself a target to achieve 10th spot by 2010.
Van Schalkwyk conceded work on a massive scale needed to be done around challenges such as crime and weak transport infrastructure if this goal was to be achieved.
”This is an ambitious goal and requires a concerted and collaborative partnership with industry.
”Getting to that position will take an unusual amount of work, an unusual amount of confidence and an unusual amount of selling our proposition to meetings and incentive-planners around the globe,” he said.
On measures taken to make the country safer, Van Schalkwyk said spending on resources for the police would increase by 34% over the next three years, from R33-billion to R44-billion.
”By 2010, we will have close to 190 000 police officers on our streets.”
His department, together with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and provincial authorities, is developing a National Tourism Safety and Awareness Strategy.
”The strategy … calls for an integrated approach in addressing tourism safety and awareness, and recognises the SAPS as a critical role player with a direct mandate regarding safety and security matters.”
The strategy included the possibility of having a designated officer in every police station to deal with tourism crime-related issues.
”The long-term aim is to establish Tourism Ambassador Units in police stations, with specialised training.”
There was also a need for adding a tourism variable in the existing crime database, making available tourism-crime incidents and progress on investigations.
”This can assist in dealing with perceptions that the country may not be safe for tourists,” he said.
Van Schalkwyk said his department had also produced a Tourism Safety Tips booklet, and was in the process of producing a handbook for tourism practitioners.
”The role that industry and society has to play in the implementation of the strategy cannot be overemphasised. Law enforcement agencies alone cannot win the war against crime, as some of these crimes are committed within industry, by employees and owners of establishments.
”These include making information on tourists available to crime syndicates, theft of tourists’ property in some establishments, illegal use of tourist credit cards, unlawful levy collections, illegal tour guiding and unlicensed tour operators,” he said. — Sapa