Safety remains a key concern for local, regional and international travellers and South African tourism industry stakeholders – including national government, the private sector (largely through their respective associations) and local and provincial government – have been proactively addressing tourism safety over recent months.
After rejoining Tourism Update as editor in January 2020 (I left in 2004 in my previous iteration) – just ahead of the COVID pandemic – I was struck, as the massive impact of the pandemic became brutally clear, by how so many everyday tourism heroes rose from the ashes, joining hands to address the various challenges the industry faced.
From the stringent COVID regulations imposed by various governments (including our own); the balancing act of lives versus livelihoods; the huge delays in business interruption insurance payouts; the prejudice against Africa and the red lists – all these, and more, were addressed through the collective efforts of the tourism sector.
Many challenges remain – visas, airlift, transport operator licence delays – and industry has been tireless in its efforts to lobby for changes.
One of the biggest pre-COVID legacy challenges – tourism safety – is another battle we must fight collectively. As Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, famously said shortly after she took office: “If you’re going to wait for government to get things done, you’re going to die waiting.”
It is, as she continues to say, the private sector that really understands the challenges and it is the private sector that knows what needs to be done.
It has been encouraging to see local, provincial and national government entities working with the private sector. But government leaders change, as do their mandates and priorities.
So, the sector has to continue to step up.
Clarion call
A massive achievement in addressing tourism safety was that the National Tourism Safety Strategy was finally implemented last year and the National Tourism Safety Forum – consisting of key government and private sector leaders – was established.
And, over recent months, various entities within the sector have been actively engaged in enhancing incident management, providing robust victim support, and refining crisis communication efforts.
According to industry communications specialist, Natalia Rosa, this has yielded valuable insights, where industry has been able to identify common strategies employed by perpetrators targeting travellers, especially those journeying independently.
“Our analysis has underscored a pivotal revelation: the most effective method to elevate traveller safety is through comprehensive education about preventative measures,” Rosa continued.
Industry-wide initiative
While all these efforts are to be commended, and the insights enabling the sector to address this and implement real actions for real results, more is needed.
To this end, there is a clarion call for the entire sector to participate in an industry-wide initiative aimed at consolidating efforts in order to magnify our collective impact in keeping travellers safe.
And the ‘Together for Traveller Safety’ webinar is an important place to start.
“This webinar serves as a vital briefing on the current state of traveller safety and the collective measures we must enhance. As a key stakeholder in the South African tourism industry, we all bear a direct responsibility for ensuring the well-being of every visitor exploring our nation,” said SATSA COO, Hannelie du Toit – one of the industry association partners driving the tourism safety goal.
Only 3 000 participants can join, so book your space ASAP.
The main discussion points of the ‘Together for Traveller Safety’ webinar will include:
- Known issues affecting tourism safety
- Incident management activities
- Victim support
- Crisis communications
- The industry’s duty of care in keeping travellers safe
- What industry can collectively be doing to help
- Any suggested initiatives from the floor
Date: April 30
Time: 16h00
Following the webinar, attendees will have access to a dedicated website featuring frequently asked questions (FAQs) and guidelines. These resources will be invaluable for educating travellers and training customer-facing staff.
To ensure that it is an industry-wide initiative, the www.visitsouthafrica.info page – established during the COVID pandemic – has been resurrected and it is through this mechanism that both the webinar and the support will be provided to industry from a communications and messaging perspective.
