The high-profile murder trial of Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius could have a positive long-term effect on public perceptions of South Africa, the country’s tourism chief told Travel Weekly.
Speaking at African trade show Indaba in Durban, South African Tourism chief executive Thulani Nzima (pictured) said international publicity surrounding the trial, in which Pistorius is accused of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at their Pretoria home, could actually reassure visitors that the country boasts a fair and transparent legal system rather than increasing concerns about safety.
He said: “You may see it initially as a negative thing, but it will help us quite a great deal.
“It is an individual matter but it’s also a social issue.
“We have confidence in our justice system and we will follow due process, and that will be exposed to the world.
“There’s no need to worry about safety; South Africa is no different to the UK or America, or any other big city. In any country, there are places that have an element of criminality, and the idea that South Africa is profiled as a criminal area is not true. These are perceptions of crime, but people are voting with their feet.”
The UK remains the biggest source market for tourism to South Africa, which saw 500,000 British arrivals last year from a total of 9.6 million international visitors, the highest in the country’s history.
Nzima said the UK office would be consolidating its efforts to engage the trade over the coming year, with a new UK director due to start in June, continued joint marketing support, and training and fam trips for agents.
He added: “The UK is our biggest market and that hasn’t changed, despite the fact it is facing its own economic challenges. What that says to us is that we have to show confidence in the UK. Although it’s our number one market, we are just scratching the surface of potential here.”
Correction 10:16, May 21: The original version of this article said Thulani Nzima was South Africa’s tourism minister. This has now been corrected as Nzima is South African Tourism chief executive.