The campaign, themed #WeDoTourismResponsibly urges tourists to be safe and responsible while exploring the country, adhering to rules of the road – ensuring both a safe travel and the safety of children – reducing their carbon footprint and preserving cultural and environmental aesthetics of tourism destinations.
Officials from the department, RIM and Western Cape handed out safety pamphlets to tourists containing safety and responsible tourism messages, contact details of the tourism complaints officer and information on responsible tourism practices.
“The holiday season provides an ideal opportunity for us to encourage tourists to travel in a safe and responsible manner.
“The #WeDoTourismResponsibly campaign, which we rolled-out at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, is a first of a number of awareness initiatives that we will be conducting in various provinces ahead of all the holidays in 2018,” said Lulama Duma, deputy director general at the Department of Tourism.
#WeDoTourismResponsibly is an initiative of the Department of Tourism that responds to government’s call to encourage safety during the holiday season. According to the Department of Transport, 1,714 fatalities were recorded during the 2016 December holiday period.
“The holiday period is often marred by reports of road accidents, drownings, domestic violence and child neglect.”
“We hope that by inculcating a culture of safe and responsible tourism practices, we can contribute to reducing incidents of misconduct and reaffirm our country’s competitiveness and attractiveness in offering safe and authentic tourism experiences,” added Duma.
