Numbi road is safe for tourists, says De Lille
Tourist attacks on the Numbi road have decreased drastically after security measures were implemented, said various role players. This road will continue to be monitored to ensure the safety of tourists.
The formerly dangerous Numbi road to the Kruger National Park (KNP) has become one of the safest tourism routes in the province, according to the minister of tourism, Patricia de Lille.
This comes after the department deployed 2 200 tourism safety monitors to key tourist attractions and hotspots since May this year.
The deployment of security guards by the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT) to patrol the area, and the involvement of community members and police, have also helped to turn this situation around.
De Lille said tourist attacks have decreased drastically after all these measures had been implemented, and that this road would continue to be monitored to ensure the safety of tourists.
Read more: Two German KNP tourists held up and robbed on their way out on Numbi Road
“It is unfortunately well known that there have been many crime incidents on and around the Numbi road, with criminals attacking tourists. This was a matter we took very seriously, not only because we want to safeguard tourists, but we cannot have criminality stand in the way of our thriving tourist attractions, because this is how we ultimately create more jobs for our people and bring prosperity for all.
“It generated a lot of bad publicity for our tourism industry, especially in that area. Closing the Numbi Gate was not going to resolve the problem, as this would have affected tourism businesses in the surrounding areas. We have made all this effort to protect businesses to make sure that people do not lose their jobs,” De Lille said.
She also urged community members to continue ensuring the safety of the tourists because this benefits the local economy.
The KLCBT’s COO, Linda Grimbeek, said it welcomed the minister’s comment because this shows that the effort did not go unnoticed, and it was encouraged to continue to keep all the tourism routes safe at all times.
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“We were not going to fold our hands and watch criminals take over our routes and collapse the tourism industry that was already badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. We have made sure that we have enough security patrols and police visibility. We also have undercover people on the ground and community members are involved to keep the area safe,” she said.
Grimbeek echoed the minister’s sentiment that closing the popular Numbi Gate would not have resolved crime in the area, but would have been bad for tourism, especially for those who are operating along the route.
