South African Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille says that Tourism Department had invested USD 9.27 million in the current financial year to train 2300 tourism monitors that will increase visibility at identified tourist sites
South African Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has said that the the Department of Tourism will roll out 2300 safety monitors to patrol tourist hotspots ahead of the upcoming peak season.
Briefing the media in Cape Town after the National Tourism Safety Forum’s second meeting, the minister said that the monitors would be backed by technology to ensure visitor safety.
According to a press statement, the Safety Forum, composed of representatives from organisations across the private sector, the nine provincial MECs responsible for tourism, the National Prosecuting Authority, the South African Police Service, Airports Company South Africa and the Departments of Tourism and Transport, meets quarterly to discuss issues impacting tourists’ experience of the country.
“While most visitors leave South Africa having had a positive experience, issues of safety remain an obstacle to convert would-be tourists to visit our country,” De Lille said.
She added that the Tourism Department had invested ZAR 174 million (USD 9.27 million) in the current financial year to train 2300 tourism monitors who will increase visibility at identified tourist sites.
Crime hotspots have been mapped, and the monitors will be deployed to hotspots across all nine provinces between late October and early November, ahead of the summer tourist season, the minister told the media.
“The key responsibilities of the appointed Tourism Monitors include patrolling within the identified attractions and site/areas, raising tourism awareness and providing information to tourists and reporting any crime incidents to SAPS and other relevant enforcement agencies,” she added.
The statement adds that the monitors would undergo accredited training and five days of training with SAPS in various police techniques. They will also be backed by technology, including a CSIR-designed C-More tracking device, which will be used to track the monitors for their own safety and monitor their movements around the identified tourism sites.
The Tourism Business Council of South Africa has also developed a safety app called Secura. It will allow the monitors and visitors who have downloaded it to connect to affordable medical care and emergency service providers in an emergency situation. The app will be backed by an operations centreand is expected to be launched this week.
