Tourism surges, but security challenges demand attention

On the face of it, the tourism industry is picking up steam again after the devastation of the Covid years.

That’s good news for a vitally important sector of the economy and creator of a significant number of jobs.

The official figures say that from January to July, there were 4.8 million tourist arrivals – but whether these are all bona fide tourists or those who come to do shopping is a matter for debate.

What is clear, according to those in the hospitality sector, is that more airlines are putting on more flights to our country and that we are starting to attract visitors from potentially lucrative markets like India.

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What we cannot allow is for security to deteriorate. This week alone, three foreign visitors were attacked and robbed in Cape Town.

This sort of bad news spreads fast with the ubiquity of social media, so law enforcement needs to up its game when patrolling popular tourist destinations.

At the same time, our tourism industry must not turn its back on locals, who supported it during the lean Covid years, and go chasing the dollars, euros, yen and pounds.

Above all, tourism needs to be nurtured because it is our best renewable resource.

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