SWC in SA a "BIG MISTAKE"!

[daveza]

Visitors will all be staying somewhere - friends, hotels, b&b's - and they should be responsible for telling the fans what they can and can't do where they should avoid etc.

FIFA recommends they drive around the Cape Flats and find shebeens, so they are the last people any tourist should listen to.

Personally I'm more concerned about how many of them hiring cars know which side of the road to drive on and whether they are aware of the dangers of our wonderful taxi industry thugs.

 

[LancelotSA]

*Ahem* - Foreigners DONT lock their doors while driving, Foreigners DONT stay indoors at night, foreigners DONT know where all the dodgy areas are, foreigners DONT keep awareness at traffic lights, foreigners DONT keep situational awareness while walking the streets (very evident when many people outside of SA walk with headphones and MP3 players blasting)

I am not defending anything here... I just think that tourists should be EDUCATED, otherwise they WILL BECOME fodder for theives. Their lack of SA savvy will be very evident. If the SA tourist board says 'Stay away from high risk areas' without identifying WHERE THEY ARE, then its counter-productive... but if the high risk areas are identified, then the tourism board are admitting there is a problem - which they wont want to do.

...and yet the statistics quoted show otherwise!

 

[noxibox]

Personally I'm more concerned about how many of them hiring cars know which side of the road to drive on and whether they are aware of the dangers of our wonderful taxi industry thugs.

If they have experience driving in Paris and Rome the correct side of the road might be an issue, but the taxis will be child's play.

 

[daveza]

In Paris and Rome they may hurl abuse at you but show our taxis the finger and you could well end up facing the business end of a gun barrel.

 

[Ronjay]

Have to laugh at people that think tourists are ignorant, fools with out any common sense. Do you really think that these counties don't have crime? Do you really think people that live in New York, London and Sydney don't lock there doors at night? My sister stays in a small town in England but won't go to London on her own, why? Because it is not safe.

My sister lived in the states too. In Atlanta Georgia, One of the bigger cities there. And you can believe me, there was a lot of issues with crime in certain areas. Just like there is here.

And by the way I have a mp3 player that I use everyday when I take a long walk. Never been mugged. And the area where I live is considered a high crime area.

 

[LancelotSA]

A little googling resulted in me finding this article on IOL which pretty much says what I feel about people who want to "inform" (read chase away) tourists of the perceived dangers. The website mentioned now directs to the one I have quoted twice in this thread already : http://www.truecrimexpo.co.za/

These are the parts of particular interest and show the damage being done by these idiots and why it angers me!

"We will ensure that each and every traveller who plans to visit South Africa will think twice before heading for the world's murder capital," said Neil Watson, the brains behind the campaign.

Watson, an insurance broker, said he began the web page so that victims of crime would be able to tell their stories in detail.

The Cape Town father of four has not been a victim of crime. However, he fears that it is only a question of time before he too will become another statistic and be hijacked or robbed like other South Africans.

Now where have I heard that before!

JP Louw, spokesperson for the national department of environmental affairs and Tourism, said such "scare tactics" were "really quite unfortunate".

Anyone who ran a programme which would deprive people of jobs and earning a living did not have the interests of the country at heart, he said.

Precisely!

Bongi Sishi, spokesperson for Sports and Recreation Minister Makhenkesi Stofile, said the department did not believe that discouraging people from coming to the country and attempting to stop South Africa from hosting the World Cup would solve the crime problem.

Not sure what it achieves really!

One permanent job is created for every 12 international tourists who visit the country.

So keep chasing those tourists away but next time you see a beggar on the street please give them money as it is likely that it is as a direct result of your actions that he is jobless!

 

[dlk001]

Not sure what it achieves really!

Neil Watson and his supporters should scare off all tourists from visiting SA. I don't understand why its suddenly an issue with soccer world cup. Crime is a problem we dealing with on a daily basis.

 

[Ronjay]

A little googling resulted in me finding this article on IOL which pretty much says what I feel about people who want to "inform" (read chase away) tourists of the perceived dangers. The website mentioned now directs to the one I have quoted twice in this thread already : http://www.truecrimexpo.co.za/

These are the parts of particular interest and show the damage being done by these idiots and why it angers me!



Now where have I heard that before!


Precisely!


Not sure what it achieves really!


So keep chasing those tourists away but next time you see a beggar on the street please give them money as it is likely that it is as a direct result of your actions that he is jobless!

Forget it dude, you are wasting your time. None of them are actually seeing your posts, it seems like. Actually if you look at the statistics though, it seems that tourists are more capable of avoiding crime then South Africans. It looks like the tourists are more used to dealing with crime then we are. But of course they are still going to say that they have to "warn tourists not to come to SA because they can't think for them selves".

 

[LancelotSA]

But of course they are still going to say that they have to "warn tourists not to come to SA because they can't think for them selves".

...and in the process destroy jobs that may well have been created out of tourism, thus creating further unemployment, which in turn leads to these unemployed individuals needing to turn to crime to live! But of course they can't see this either!

 

[Ronjay]

...and in the process destroy jobs that may well have been created out of tourism, thus creating further unemployment, which in turn leads to these unemployed individuals needing to turn to crime to live! But of course they can't see this either!

Yip, but they obviously don't care that tourism is a big part of our economy, That many people depend on tourists for a living and that tourism is considered to be a big growth area that will provide jobs for currently unemployed individuals. I wish they would wake up and smell the coffee, they could hurt our economy if tourists start to stay away because of there doom BS. But of course they don't care about others in our country that are in the tourism industry. They think that their wallets wont be affected if there is no tourists because they them selves are not in the tourist trade, but obviously tourists bring a lot of money with them, so less money in the country affects us all, they just can't see this.

 

[Alan]

N.Korea should host a world cup. That will give their tourism industry a massive boost too and provide employment. :erm:

 

[BBSA]

Yip, but they obviously don't care that tourism is a big part of our economy, That many people depend on tourists for a living and that tourism is considered to be a big growth area that will provide jobs for currently unemployed individuals. I wish they would wake up and smell the coffee, they could hurt our economy if tourists start to stay away because of there doom BS. But of course they don't care about others in our country that are in the tourism industry. They think that their wallets wont be affected if there is no tourists because they them selves are not in the tourist trade, but obviously tourists bring a lot of money with them, so less money in the country affects us all, they just can't see this.

Don't shoot the messenger. Rather direct you energy at the real problem - Poorly trained, unprofessional and corrupt police force and an ineffective justice system

Fix the crime problem and the tourist will come. Hiding the problem is not going to help anybody.

Everybody is using the WC to get out their message, why are the people who are concerned about crime not allowed to do the same?

 

[Ronjay]

Don't shoot the messenger. Rather direct you energy at the real problem - Poorly trained, unprofessional and corrupt police force and an ineffective justice system

Fix the crime problem and the tourist will come. Hiding the problem is not going to help anybody.

What problem, the statistics are there. LancelotZA posted them for us. It's from a British government site.

"More than 460,000 Britons visit South Africa every year (Source: Statistics South Africa). Most visits are trouble- free. 139 British nationals required consular assistance in South Africa in the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident; deaths (48 cases); hospitalisations (23 cases); and arrests, for a variety of offences (23 cases). During this period assistance was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (871 cases). You should keep photocopies of your passport with you in a separate place to your passport."

0.03% had a problem. That's a pretty big problem

 

[LancelotSA]

Don't shoot the messenger. Rather direct you energy at the real problem - Poorly trained, unprofessional and corrupt police force and an ineffective justice system

Fix the crime problem and the tourist will come. Hiding the problem is not going to help anybody.

You appear to have missed the part where people stated that they are actively attempting to tell as many tourists as possible not to come to SA!!

 

[killadoob]

Telling them not to come is silly without a doubt but denying the problem is just as bad.

Ronjay the difference between not safe and our country is that in the UK london is not safe in as much as you may get robbed, here not safe means murder, rape and that type of thing. I have no problems with crime, i do have a problem with the violent nature of our crime .

 

[Nom Chompsky]

You appear to have missed the part where people stated that they are actively attempting to tell as many tourists as possible not to come to SA!!

While I agree (for once) that actively telling people not to come to SA is stupid, one should realise that tourism is a double-edged sword.

While it can create jobs, it can also destroy jobs if tourists have a bad experience. Word-of-mouth is the most powerful advertising tool in the world, which means that it can be used to relay bad experiences to a vast number of people in a very short time.

 

[BBSA]

What problem, the statistics are there. LancelotZA posted them for us. It's from a British government site.

"More than 460,000 Britons visit South Africa every year (Source: Statistics South Africa). Most visits are trouble- free. 139 British nationals required consular assistance in South Africa in the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident; deaths (48 cases); hospitalisations (23 cases); and arrests, for a variety of offences (23 cases). During this period assistance was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (871 cases). You should keep photocopies of your passport with you in a separate place to your passport."

0.03% had a problem. That's a pretty big problem

I'm sure I can pull together some stats which will indicate the South Africa have a big crime problem

Denying that we have a crime problem is not helpful.

 

[LancelotSA]

While I agree (for once) that actively telling people not to come to SA is stupid, one should realise that tourism is a double-edged sword.

While it can create jobs, it can also destroy jobs if tourists have a bad experience. Word-of-mouth is the most powerful advertising tool in the world, which means that it can be used to relay bad experiences to a vast number of people in a very short time.

I agree but according to a few articles quoted by me this has not been an issue before. I posted a link to the Barmy Army encouraging people to come out for the SWC after spending 40 days here for the cricket. Then there was the cricket world cup article that showed a study as saying "foreigners were generally very satisfied with the event and South Africa. Crime reported was at insignificant levels. 3% of visitors experienced an incident of crime whilst here. However, 99% of visitors (94% of those affected) said they would return again." With even 94% of those affected by crime saying they'd return.

 

[Sting]

Again, I have not read any post where anyone denies that we do have a crime problem. We all acknowledge it.

But to use it as an excuse to predict a SWC fail and to publically chase away tourist is malicious.

EDIT: And this is my last post in this thread. Promise!

 

[LancelotSA]

I'm sure I can pull together some stats which will indicate the South Africa have a big crime problem

Denying that we have a crime problem is not helpful.

Please go ahead. I really hate having to do all the research myself. But bear in mind it must be crime on tourists as that is what this thread is about.