The City of Cape Town is engaging with the National Department of Tourism about the deployment of tourism safety monitors in Cape Town and other travel hubs across the country.
According to Alderman James Vos, the City’s Mayco member for economic growth, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille announced a R174.5 million initiative in August to train over 2 200 youths as tourism monitors, with 250 designated for Western Cape hotspots.
Initially slated for early November, the deployment has been postponed to 15 December 2023.
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The City is anticipating an influx of both domestic and international visitors to Cape Town this summer, and a recent scourge of crime in tourism hotspots has heightened the urgency for effective measures.
To curb this, Cape Town is launching its largest festive tourism safety operation ever, deploying personnel to key areas like Table Mountain National Park and the CBD.
Over 4 000 City enforcement and emergency staff will be on duty in shifts, focusing on high-traffic tourist destinations such as Signal Hill, Lion’s Head, Devil’s Peak, Table Mountain’s trails, the Bo-Kaap, the Waterfront and the CBD.
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The City’s tourism marketing arm, Cape Town Tourism, is also offering several safety resources:
- TravelWise: A platform providing safety updates, tips and emergency contacts.
- The Namola App: A free app for quick emergency response and location tracking.
- The Band-Aid Programme: Provides assistance for distressed visitors, including help with lost documents, emergency accommodation and fraud issues. The 24/7 contact number is 021 487 6552.
Cape Town Tourism staff will be available at key locations like Cape Town International Airport, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and City Hall for assistance.
‘Ensuring the well-being of all those who are out and about and enjoying the wonderful attractions of Cape Town and South Africa is in our collective best interest. My team and I stand ready to work with the National Department of Tourism and others to make sure that people create only happy memories when experiencing our country,’ concluded Alderman Vos.
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Picture: Tobias Reich / Unsplash