Essential to keep our tourists safe

FRIGHTENING stories of attacks at well-known tourist hotspots in larger centres like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban are all too common, but that doesn’t make the latest attack at a similarly popular venue in Nelson Mandela Bay any less disturbing.

The shocking stabbing and robbery of a prominent Cape Town tour guide near one of the metro’s most appealing beachfront attractions – the McArthur Pools – will have naturally raised huge concerns about the imminent start of the festive season and the importance of maintaining the Bay’s reputation as a relatively safe holiday destination.

Yes, such attacks are rare. But as municipal spokesman Roland Williams points out, one such incident is one too many – especially when it is not just a simple mugging but a savage, near-fatal attack which put the victim in a hospital intensive care unit.

The police have insisted this type of crime is a priority for them across the Bay and that every year during this period they assign additional resources to all tourist hotspots. But at the same time, such violence and crime at our prime venues can surely only be prevented through the high visibility of a law enforcement presence – something which many residents feel is not happening as regularly as it should.

What is particularly worrisome in this case however is the fact that tour operator Kassie de Waal was heading up a large group of 35 Dutch tourists who will have serious reservations about returning to South Africa, let alone the Bay, after such a vicious attack and will no doubt make their sentiments known when they return home.

We simply cannot allow our huge tourism potential to be hijacked by criminals. It is therefore incumbent not only on the police, but on the hospitality industry and tour operators to ensure visitors’ safety as best they can and to keep them fully informed as to how best to protect themselves, while reassuring them that such incidents are indeed isolated.