Violence against tourists ‘should be considered economic crime’

The South African tourism sector has been reacting to the death of a German tourist, who was shot and killed near White River in Mpumalanga on Monday afternoon.

The tourist was one of four travellers making their way to the Kruger National Park when they were attacked in an attempted hijacking.

“As a sector, we are aware that crime tops the list of factors that tourists have raised as a concern when choosing South Africa as a destination,” the South African Tourism and The Tourism Business Council of South Africa said in a joint statement on Tuesday. 

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“The protection of all tourists is immensely important to us and therefore we continue to consult the South African Police Services and all related authorities in this regard,” said South African Tourism Acting CEO Themba Khumalo.

Tshivhengwa added: “Violence against tourists is equivalent to economic crimes such as stealing copper cables and gold, and something must be done urgently.”

“Our teams will meet with our colleagues in the security cluster to discuss ways in which plans to ensure tourist safety are fast tracked ahead of our very busy summer holiday season.”