'Violence could damage tourism'

2008-05-22 08:57

Cape Town - The outburst of xenophobic violence in the country could cause serious damage to South Africa's tourism industry, Environmental and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said on Tuesday.

Briefing the media in Cape Town, Van Schalkwyk said tourists from African countries were likely to avoid visiting South Africa.

This came as the German Foreign Ministry issued a warning to travellers to South Africa on Tuesday to avoid central Johannesburg and the outlying black townships.

Over the past few days there had been serious outbreaks of violence directed against black immigrants and ethnic minorities in townships on the outskirts of cities like Johannesburg and Pretoria and also in central Johannesburg, the ministry said.

It advised against all trips to these areas, whether organized by tour groups or undertaken alone.

Around 30 people have died in the violence, which has been largely directed at Zimbabweans fleeing the chaos in their own country, which borders South Africa to the north.

"We are quite concerned about the effects of the attacks on tourism - they have the potential to impact negatively on the (African) market," said Van Schalkwyk.

The violence, which drew condemnation from all political parties, churches, community organisation and the general public, started in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg last week.

It has since spread to informal settlements on the perimeter of Johannesburg at the weekend, including Zamimpilo in Riverlea, Diepsloot and Kya Sands to the west of Johannesburg, and Ramaphosa and Makause in the east, as well as to Tembisa and Tokoza.

Tens of thousands of people are seeking refuge in shelters.

Van Schalkwyk said while his department was concerned about the impact the violence would cause to tourism, the immediate concern was around its impact on victims and their families.

Addressing the National Assembly later on Tuesday during the Environmental and Tourism department's budget vote debate, Van Schalkwyk, however, said the country's tourism industry would continue to grow.

"The growth in our tourism industry is well documented... in 1994, fewer than 60 000 tourists visited South Africa... by 2007, that shot up to over nine million, which represented an increase of 8.3% over the previous year.

"We look forward to an even better 2008," he said.

The department would strive to ensure that small enterprises benefited from major tourism projects such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

"The department is working with MATCH, the official accommodation partner for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) to assist SMME accommodation establishments and more specifically establishments from previously disadvantaged communities to be graded and registered as official accommodation suppliers for 2010," he said. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA