‘Sleepless nights’ - Mpumalanga Tourism MEC concerned at tourists’ safety
Mpumalanga MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism Prince Mkhatshwa says the levels of crime directed at tourists in province is giving him sleepless nights.
Mkhatshwa delivered the keynote address at the two-day provincial tourism lekgotla in Mbombela on Thursday.
In a statement, Mkhatshwa said "this unwarranted behaviour sends a wrong message to visitors and would-be visitors, that tourists are not welcomed in our province."
The department’s spokesperson Mohau Ramodibe says government and the private sector will jointly fund initiative to curb crime in the tourism sector.
"All stakeholders have further agreed to collectively contribute financially, to provincial marketing campaigns, moving forward.
"Common sense assumes that anyone who is not well received will think twice before going back to the place where they felt unwelcome. And that is why we will continue to work relentlessly, with our law enforcement agencies, to protect our tourist routes across the province."
There are also plan to improve the state of the roads in province.
"MEC for Public Works, Roads and Transport, Ms. Mohita Latchminarian, indicated that her department has drastically improved the conditions of roads along the province’s tourist routes by resurfacing them and patching potholes,” says Ramodibe.
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