Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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It was interesting to read that our tourism figures are down at the moment. The number of families arriving in South Africa during July was 5% down on July 2018. The figures also indicate that South Africans are travelling less overseas. It is easy to understand why South Africans are travelling less overseas if one looks at the Rand over the last year. A declining Rand has made it much more expensive for South Africans to travel overseas.
On the other side though it should have made it a lot cheaper for people from other countries to visit South Africa and it has not. I think that is obviously to do with some of the footage that one sees coming out of South Africa including the xenophobia attacks, strikes and people running through the streets of Johannesburg throwing all sorts of things at police. In other words, there is a perception overseas that South Africa is rather violent and has too much crime. That is true, although that is not really true of the areas that tourists largely go to if one look at for example the Durban beachfront, Cape Town, Kruger National Park and Sun City, etc, which are all reasonably safe destinations if you don’t stray from the beaten path. South Africa is a spectacularly beautiful country and tourism really should be one of the cornerstones of our economy, so the government really needs to look at this aspect and see how we can promote South African tourism.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Thursday 12-Dec-19
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Comments
Bianca Tajaard said:
on Wednesday 26-Feb-20 07:48 AM
It is sad to hear that less people are coming to SA. I think we have one of the most beautiful countries with such a variety of different cultures.
Daniella said:
on Thursday 23-Jan-20 10:40 AM
Tourism will only go up once the Government tackles our high crime & corruption rates- We have a country that has a lot to offer for tourists however people like to feel safe whilst visiting
patrick said:
on Thursday 16-Jan-20 07:56 AM
Anc internal politics are robbing ordinary people lots of developments. If they govern as a team we will be able to beat things like crime, service delivery and corruption and focus on things like tourism which we know will bring lots and lots of jobs.
Michelle D said:
on Tuesday 14-Jan-20 08:41 AM
The primary way in which the government could improve tourism is to crack down on crime and crime inducing environments. The only thing I ever hear from family and friends overseas is how dangerous our country is which is unfortunately a big curb to tourism
natasha said:
on Tuesday 14-Jan-20 08:29 AM
It is so sad to see that the tourism in our country is falling we live in such a beautiful country,even though the crime is high. Our country still stays a beautiful place.
Joyce said:
on Friday 10-Jan-20 04:51 PM
I think South Africa is a beautiful country and think that there is definitely some attractions that attract people from other countries to visit South Africa. I think if crime and xenophobia can be totally stopped I think more and more tourists will be willing to come visit South Africa
Sinead said:
on Friday 10-Jan-20 04:06 PM
Although the violent acts happened mainly in Johannesburg and Pretoria, it could just put people off the entire country. I traveled to Cape Town in December and I must say, there are still so many tourists which is obviously a good thing.
I'm surprised to hear that South Africans are traveling as much overseas. There are so many people I know of that are still going on overseas trips although, like you say, it is much more expensive now.
Prishani said:
on Friday 10-Jan-20 02:08 PM
South Africa is a beautiful country with so much to offer in terms of diverse cultures, interesting food and lovely natural tourist attractions! I hope the department has been doing enough advertising to bring those tourists in!
Ruby said:
on Thursday 09-Jan-20 02:03 PM
We have a beautiful country but we actively need to work on crime, red tape, etc. Until there is a perception that SA is a safe country, international tourist will spend their money in places like Bali and other Asian countries, etc.
Maybe tourists has had enough of “struggle Tourism” now?
Nicolle said:
on Tuesday 07-Jan-20 02:42 PM
Sunny, beautiful South Africa has so much to offer! It is absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful! I think that we could defy impermanence and entropy by visiting all of the awing locations in South Africa. Travel Like A Local in your own Country.
Ashleigh said:
on Monday 06-Jan-20 02:15 PM
This country is beautiful and the weather is great but I do not blame tourists for not visiting because of crime and attacks especially if its something that rarely happens in their own country. The problem is that not much is being done to sort it out either. Very sad and keeping my hopes up that something will change one day.
Lourien said:
on Monday 06-Jan-20 12:01 PM
South Africa is a lovely country and there is so much to do. This December we did not go away for the holidays but we did go to a few tourist attractions around Johannesburg. We made each day an outing and had so much fun visiting places such as the Sterkfontein Caves, Harties, Gold Reef City, Nkwe and surrounding places. Its safe if you know where to go but still you need to be on the lookout, as our crime is high in South Africa.
Nikita said:
on Thursday 19-Dec-19 04:52 PM
Our country has so much to offer and really is what I believe a Tourist dream destination. We have fantastic weather, for most part very friendly people and we have the bonus of having the beach and the wild. I often wonder when I see tourists what they think about our country and the feedback they give their friends and family. I know I would definitely tell everyone about the great food we have here.
fikile said:
on Thursday 19-Dec-19 02:14 PM
It is so sad to know that the country is currently falling apart and the tourism is loosing most. If we don't have tourist then how is our country going to be known, If you look at it tourism is the most important thing in our country because we have so many beautiful places that people from other country that they don't have. Our government has to stop falling us as a country.
Alexis said:
on Thursday 19-Dec-19 09:00 AM
Well, when you have the South African airways striking as well, did not help and did not help them either...as far as I understand, Flight Center is not going to use them anymore. But, the rand is weak and going away is quite pricey....Then one will have to look at the state of our country and the crime, it is no wonder that people would be weary of coming here.
Shristi said:
on Thursday 19-Dec-19 08:30 AM
South Africa is a beautiful country to visit but I can understand why tourists do not want to visit here. Who would want to come to a country for a holiday where there are power cuts, xenophobia attacks, tourists being killed etc. Unfortunately the media mostly shows the bad and not the good of the country. Due to less tourists visiting this also has a negative effect on our economy. I really do hope that the government does something to increase the number of tourists that visit our country.
Kayla said:
on Tuesday 17-Dec-19 04:52 PM
I am not surprised that the tourism figures are down. Considering the crime rate in South Africa, as an international outsider I would not want to come to place to put myself or my family in danger to see a country which is yes beautiful but from the inside out the people are destroying it and making it unsafe. Considering how much safer it is overseas for example Canada, they would probably think to visit South Africa is a potential war zone.
Victoria said:
on Tuesday 17-Dec-19 11:03 AM
It is sad to see that tourism numbers are down but I can totally understand why people from other Countries don't want to come to South Africa on Holiday. There is a lot of crime and problems that our Country is facing, this will put a person off from wanting to come here. Like you said that not all the places are unsafe as long as you stick to the path. Our Country is very stunning and people from all over the world should come see our Country.
Sujata said:
on Tuesday 17-Dec-19 08:25 AM
Advertising for tourism is simple as South Africa is naturally one of the most beautiful country's on this continent however, the crime stories, violent strikes, rape toll and brutality is not an attractive perspective for potential international visitors the same can be said if one looks at Brazil and their favela's and narcotic chains. One has to admit it is tiring to admit things need to change as tourism is an integral chain in this economy.
Zandelee said:
on Tuesday 17-Dec-19 07:31 AM
I definitely believe that it is South Africa's crime rates that is starting to have a negative impact on tourists decisions to visit our country. Not only have we seen tourists being killed on visits to our country which has gained huge international attention.
Brumilde Cronje said:
on Friday 13-Dec-19 12:02 PM
The rand is a shame, Allot of people cant even travel within SA itself. Due to this and that increasing. It is really a shame, we have so much to show the world. We have a beautiful country, and should be proud to show and see it
Claudia B said:
on Friday 13-Dec-19 11:39 AM
South Africa is really one beautiful place, we do get a lot of tourists here in South Africa, there are so many place we have not seen or have been in South Africa that is truly beautiful. Media will always have a big influence on everything.
Bronwyn said:
on Friday 13-Dec-19 09:36 AM
I do believe South Africa is a beautiful country and if we can go back to the times when the saying was still applicable "Umntu ngumntu ngabanye abantu" (which literally means that a person is a person through other people) our country would do so much better. because we would be working with each other and we will be achieving so much more.
Jadine Richards said:
on Friday 13-Dec-19 09:21 AM
A lot of tourists that I come across are on their 2nd or 3rd trip back to South Africa. This shows that we have something good here if people choose to come back. One would expect the word of mouth to bring in a lot more tourists. However, I can only imagine how we are portrayed in international news with our constant strikes; power cuts; dwindling economy; and poverty...It cannot be very attractive to potential travelers.
Dasanya said:
on Friday 13-Dec-19 09:10 AM
South Africa is such a diverse and unique country with such a rich culture and I definitely think that our tourism industry needs to be focused on. Every country has its problems and yes crime happens to be one of ours but we should be promoting the beauty of our country with its great destinations. That should overpower the crime and violence usually portrayed in the media.
Roxanne said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 05:02 PM
Yes South Africa is a beautiful country and I love to drive where its open and seeing all the nature but media has put a bad light on us and all the oversea people think that it everywhere, lets face it not so long ago they also thought we all had lions in our back yard. People mustn't believe what the media says, they should come experience it for themselves before they judge.
sandra said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 04:46 PM
South Africans are travelling less overseas because our currency to the ie. dollar / pound is terrible. Asia would be a "cheaper" option, but also expensive. The prices are far too high for people to go travelling like a person would before. With the decrease in numbers to tourism in South Africa, never mind the crime and safety, they probably hear loadshedding and decide to go elsewhere. This is sad though because South Africa is truly a beautiful country regardless the reasons
Ziyanda said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 02:06 PM
South Africa is a beautiful country but what people from the outside see from the media is what influences them from visiting South Africa. I do not think that South Africa is the most dangerous place to visit in the world. I think South African tourism needs to be promoted more.
Megan said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 12:59 PM
What happens in South Africa is known and followed by informed people all over the world. Many people care about our country, wishing us well, but fear we are in the process of blowing it. Maybe it is us, as residents repelling tourists, we don't feel safe in our own country and they can probably sense that. Violence and abuse in this country would drive anyone away no matter the beautiful scenery.
Michelle Smillie said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 10:09 AM
Unfortunately the media mostly portrays the bad, which does not view South Africa's nature and beauty. And then there are of course the silly notions that Africa in general is uncivilized with people living in the bushes among animals. Even though we all know that this cannot be farther from the truth, there are still a lot of people who think it is so.
Courtney said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 09:48 AM
South Africa is a very unique country, even though there's a lot of crime and things always happening. When it's rugby and sport time everyone stands together. Look what happened this year when the Bokke won, it was amazing!!!!!!!
sarah said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 09:21 AM
Honestly who wants to come to a country where there is crime , no power and best of all you not sure if you will be returning home due to a strike with the air link. The government needs to really step up and stop pocketing all the money.
Zindy said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 09:18 AM
YES South Africa is absolutely stunning, there are many places people can go to enjoy a holiday but the people that i have spoken to that have left South Africa will never come back!!! We that live here have become so accustom to the circumstances here, Its like we sit in traffic and see ' Another' smash and grab or some type of crime and its actually normal to us where as tourists become so Paranoid or petrified that they do not want to come here again, Other countries actually have a justice system that works ours keeps failing us. Its also all these stories on You Tube and social media that make people not want to travel anymore human trafficking this or that. There are many factors involved but which tourist wants to come to a crime filled load shedding country where they may likely are just going to become a statistic because people target foreigners in this country no matter where you a from you are always a target.
Lucretia said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 09:17 AM
Not only is it footage on tv showing us as violet but the amount of tourists who have been targeted when they have been here is also damaging our reputation. Word of mouth can make or break anything and if all the tourists who have been robbed, attacked, etc go back home and speak of it there, it will spread and eventually make other countries where one can walk around without worrying look more appealing. Does the government really care............
Mathilda Du Preez said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 08:30 AM
South Africa is absolutely breath taking and has the most beautiful attractions; also in my opinion has the friendliest people any one will feel right at home wherever they go.
If you love the outdoors you will find the most beautiful hiking trials that are still being protected by the MCSA.
I hope the government starts putting in more efforts to promote our beautiful country we have so much to offer.
clare said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 08:22 AM
This bad for the country if we are not getting our Tourist, but at the same time I can understand why it has dropped so bad. I for one would not come to this country and this is my own country with the Electricity problem, water problem and then the crime, People are so power hungry and do not care about each other anymore and this is the life we all have to now take.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
