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TThe TSI is a private-sector safety and support initiative established in 2008 to promote and provide safety support to tourists and the travel trade. The only such platform in South Africa, it is managed by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa.
It recently revamped its online incident-reporting portal, to be simpler to use. The portal operates as a proactive risk management tool, as well as a reactive incident management tool.
Proactive risk management involves encouraging tourism businesses to report criminal incidents against tourists through the TSI portal, even if incidents have also been reported to the South African Police Service. The TSI uses the information to produce weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and quarterly reports for select clients. This information will help determine how crime is affecting the tourism industry, and how to protect it.
Reactive incident management, in collaboration with various private sector partners, will offer emergency support to affected businesses or individual tourists.
“A lot of work still lies ahead for us, but overall we are pleased with the progress that has been achieved thus far,” says TBCSA chief executive officer Mmatsatsi Ramawela, who highlights the importance of partnerships in making the TSI a success.
TSI’s project manager, Ian Janse van Vuuren, echoes Ramawela’s view.
“By our own admission, we cannot do this by ourselves with the limited resources at our disposal. Remember, crime is the core business of criminals, but fighting crime is not the core business of the travel and tourism industry.
“This is a fundamental paradox that will continue to favour criminals and their modus operandi, until private-public partnerships allow a better flow of information sharing and collaboration,” he says.
Ramawela also assures the travel trade and tourists that all information reported through the TSI system is confidential and will be handled with care.
All incidents can be logged on the TSI website portal here, or sent via email to info@tourismsafety.co.za.
For more information about the TSI, contact Janse van Vuuren via email on tsi@tbcsa.travel or telephone +27 (0)12 664 0120.
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