In a week that has seen no fewer than two incidents where foreign visitors fell victim to crime, the City of Cape Town (CoCT) and Cape Town Tourism (CTT) have begun taking steps to beef up the safety and security of tourists in the city ahead of a busy festive season.
Also read: American tourist robbed and shot in the face in Nyanga
On Friday, an American tourist was robbed and shot in the face while en route from Cape Town International Airport to Simon’s Town. The incident occurred as the GPS device guided the tourist through Nyanga, where he was attacked.
This incident came a few days before two suspects were arrested after robbing and assaulting an elderly German couple along Baden Powell Drive, near Wolfgat, while they had stopped to take some pictures of the nearby scenery on Tuesday afternoon.
In response to these incidents, among others, and in preparation for a significant influx of visitors to South Africa, the CoCT launched its Festive Season Tourism Safety plan on Wednesday.
Explore the Cape with these incredible car deals, all priced under 100k. Find car listings here.
‘In Cape Town, 80 000 residents rely on our tourism sector alone,’ explained mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith.
‘Going into the festive season we are already gearing up to exceed the record levels experienced in 2019.’
‘A large part of our focus this year now also exceeds to that of the Table Mountain National Park, mainly that of hiking safety.’
‘A lot has been happening already behind the scenes, today’s launch is a testimony for the strong collaboration that is being setup.’
‘SAPS, the local CID’s, civil society, neighbourhood watches, all of the various City’s enforcement services and departments, and perhaps the most important, our custodians of the park themselves, SANParks!’
‘Besides the greater area, the park has 800km of hiking trails that need their attention as well. Much like our rugby team carrying the emblem of the national animal, the Springboks over came all obstacles with the simple motto: “Stronger together.”’
‘Following their success, we are busy assembling the strongest platform of collaboration and using every tool at our collective disposal.’
Meanwhile, CTT, the city’s official destination marketing organisation said that the organisation was aware of the recent incident where a US citizen was robbed and shot in the face in Nyanga.
‘We are extremely concerned that the incident took place and have engaged with local law enforcement,’ said Enver Duminy, CEO of CTT.
‘Our ongoing mission remains a deep commitment to ensuring the safety of all visitors to our shores. We have been in touch with the gentleman, and we are committed to ensuring he receives the care and counselling he needs.’
‘We have a dedicated team to assist all visitors in-destination as well as the Namola safety app for an immediate emergency response. We are also redoubling our efforts to provide the critical resources people need to stay vigilant and travel wisely.’
‘We urge special caution for visitors following a GPS. Our TravelWise section outlines crime hotspot zones to alert visitors about areas to avoid or enter with caution.’
Alderman James Vos also expressed his sympathies to the victim of Friday’s attack on behalf of the City.
Cape {town} Etc discount: Looking for things to do in the city at half the price? Let these amazing offers inspire you. Get them here.
‘The City government and our partners have worked hard to boost tourism to Cape Town and we are looking forward to a bumper visitor season,’ he said.
‘Sadly, incidents such as this mar our reputation and threaten to dissuade travellers from enjoying the great experiences we offer.’
‘I have communicated our various safety measures with diplomatic representatives based in the metro to suggest that they share this information with incoming travellers from their countries. I am also encouraged that our partner, Cape Town Tourism, has reaffirmed this information to its extensive member database.’
‘We are absolutely dedicated to ensuring our city is safe and welcoming for all visitors. Over the festive period, we urge everyone to please remain vigilant and aware, and avoid high incident areas,’ says Duminy.
Cape Town Tourism is collaborating with local law enforcement and joining the leadership of the Joint Asset Movement Management System (JAMMS) in hosting an upcoming tourism safety summit. The summit, scheduled for next week, will bring together essential public and private stakeholders, including law enforcement and security agencies, to address critical security concerns and explore opportunities for cooperative efforts in utilising our collective resources to advance proactive security strategies.
Also read:
Elderly German couple robbed while enjoying scenery in Cape Town
Picture: JP Smith / Facebook