As tourist associations and marketing agencies grapple with perceptions of southern and East Africa as ‘unsafe’ destinations, Tourism Update readers have highlighted the crucial importance of tourist safety in travellers’ decision-making processes.
In our latest poll, 73% of respondents said tourist safety was a ‘strong deciding factor’ in travellers’ choice of destination. A significant proportion of readers (23%), highlighted that other positive aspects generally won out over safety concerns, while only 3% of respondents said tourist safety was not a factor at all.
In South Africa, tourist safety has been placed high on the agenda for both public- and private-sector stakeholders. Last year, the National Tourism Safety Strategy was implemented by the Department of Tourism, through which a National Tourism Safety Forum – comprising key government and private sector role-players – was established.
SATSA has also championed collaborative efforts to bolster tourism…
