If South Africa wants to reach its goal of attracting 10 million foreign tourists per year and be in the top 10 of preferred global meetings destinations by 2010, this would take an enormous amount of work, the minister continued.
In 2006 South Africa received almost 8.4 million international arrivals and was ranked 31st by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) as a top meetings destination.
Said Van Schalkwyk, “The core of any strategy to yield growth from tourism is the ability to maximise opportunities for spending by visitors. The development of new and more diverse product offerings, in pursuit of these goals, has to be supported by a system that can connect visitors to products and attractions efficiently and effectively.
“The obvious reality with regard to tourism is that the current public transport system is not geared to serving the needs of accommodation establishments and attractions. In this regard we welcome the many initiatives in upgrading the public transport system in the run-up to 2010.
“Regarding airlift, I am pleased to announce that thus far, the implementation of the airlift strategy – the result of a strong partnership between the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, South African Tourism, the Department of Transport and the private sector- has shown impressive increases in capacity to bring tourists to South Africa. Between September 2006 and January this year, rights for almost 1.4 million additional seats per year were secured.”
Referring to safety and security, he said research conducted by South African Tourism has indicated that while South Africa is in many respects an attractive tourist destination, fear of crime could be a possible deterrent to potential visitors.
The 2005 SA Tourism brand tracking survey revealed that, of all target consumers in the eight core markets represented, about 22.25 million – or 33.8 % of the total market of 65.8 million – mentioned fears about safety as one reason for not visiting South Africa in the last five years.
“Crime is therefore an issue we as industry have to deal with if we want to reach our targets. We as Government are working tirelessly in addressing and intensifying our war against crime. Since 2003, allocations to the Safety and Security Ministry have increased by 43%. Over the next three years, resources going to the police will rise by a further 34% from R33 billion in 2006/7 to R44 billion in 2009/10.
“In this year's budget, Government is allocating an extra R2.4 billion to the police to further expand police numbers and invest in technology and forensic equipment. By 2010, we will have close to 190 000 police officers on our streets.
“I am pleased to report that my department, together with the provinces and the South African Police Services established a national task team to oversee the development of a national tourism safety and awareness strategy. The strategy among others, calls for an integrated approach in addressing tourism safety.
“In implementing the strategy, we will collaborate around the possibility of having a designated officer in every police station, dealing with tourism crime related issues. The long-term aim is to establish Tourism Ambassador units in police stations, with specialised training.
“Participation in existing local and provincial safety forums is another priority, as is the need for adding a tourism variable in the existing crime database, making available tourism crime incidents and progress on investigations. Our department has also introduced a Tourism Safety Tips booklet and we are in the process of producing a handbook for tourism practitioners.
“South Africa is renowned for breaking new ground, for succeeding against all odds. I have no doubt whatsoever that the goals we have set ourselves in the tourism industry will be realised within record time,” said Van Schalkwyk.
