Tourists won’t visit if they don’t feel safe after Kruger Park incident

One of the things we can do well in South Africa is to braai the goose which lays the golden eggs.

So, even as the respected New York Times is recommending our country as a tourist destination, thugs are shooting at a family leaving Kruger National Park (KNP).

The American paper made the telling point that, following the devastation to our tourist sector brought about by the Covid-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions, we need tourists to help not only direct job creation, but also the associated projects like education, which are supported by businesses in some reserves.

But tourists are not going to come here if they do not feel safe.

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No doubt the criminality around the borders of our parks – and especially Kruger – tracks the increase in poaching, as people see the thugs with money in their pockets.

The challenge for all of those involved in wildlife tourism particularly is to show the impoverished people outside the parks that they can benefit from revenue in those reserves.

If people do see a value in places like Kruger, then they will not tolerate the criminals in their midst.

People need to be made aware that tourism is a renewable resource which must be nurtured.