German tourist's killing sparks tourism safety concerns
The Department of Tourism says South Africa is safe for travel and open for business to international tourists.
This statement comes after 75-year-old German tourist Schnarr Joerg was gunned down on Monday after armed hijackers accosted him and three other tourists near White River in Mpumalanga.
The incident has led to concerns over the possible impact it could have on tourism as we approach the festive season.
The department's Mpumzi Zuzile says there are strategies in place to ensure a similar incident does not happen again.
"We had a stakeholder engagement session with the community, with police and all the tourism stakeholders," says Zuzile.
He says tourism safety was top of the agenda.
"We've got community forums where we were talking tourism safety and community safety in general, so that's one of our strategies that we are using.
“The minister is currently a nine-province roadshow and as part of the roadshow, we speak of tourism safety."
