A panel discussion looking back at the German tourist murder that shook South Africas tourism industry.

JOHANNESBURG - Last weeks news of a German tourists murder near the Kruger National Park and the fatal shooting of two men at Camps Bay beach has shaken South Africas young tourism industry, highlighting high crime rate in the country and the lack of safety and security thereof.

Inside EWN weekly roundtable discussion held a roundtable discussion with experts to look into the safety of tourists coming in and out of the country.

Listeners had a chance to weigh in on the topic as Sister called in to say that the issue of safety and security in the country should be an inside job.

What happened to taking care of local tourists, because as a South African travelling in my own country, I wouldnt know what to do if I would be hijacked while travelling? The tourism industry needs to be inclusive of the communities around the tourism sites to ensure safety for all.

However, CEO for Tourism Business Council South Africa, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, highlighted that South Africans should remember that our tourism industry is fairly new compared to other countries.

While tourism is an engine for many economical aspects, we should also remember that tourism is a new industry as we started being more active post-apartheid. Thats when we started playing a role in inviting the world to our country and it, therefore, remains an industry that is very important in the great scheme of the economy.

But as the tourism industry has been flourishing, so has crime and violence, denting the highly anticipated spirit of returning to some sort of normalcy following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mpumalanga tourism ambassador and the manager for tourism safety, Lindiwe Mthombeni, who was part of the discussion, said that education with community members was an important tool to curb crime.

The best thing we need to do is to educate communities on the importance of tourism and what tourism safety means and to conduct campaigns with the members of the communities.

_Listen to the full conversation below. _

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