George Nicholls Featured in Skyways Magazine 01 May 2010

When the soccer fans flood our airports next month, can they be sure that their South African experience will be a pleasant one?

Pasco Risk Holdings in South Africa recently did a risk assessment which looked at the major factors which could affect tourists. On the plus side, says Pasco CEO George Nicholls, "the police are really gearing up for this event. They've been practising for a couple of years, they've bought a lot of new equipment, and they're putting more manpower into key areas. More visible policing is a greater deterrent to crime, or course."

The Elephant In The Room

On the downside, Nicholls points to the tact that South Africa is not just perceived to be a violent country - it is 123rd on the 'least peaceful' end of a list of 144 countries on the 2009 Global Peace Index. "For visitors and South Africans alike, it is the sheer intensity of the violence which accompanies crime that is of concern," says Nicholls.

In its assessment of the crime situation, Pasco's report says, "...crime remains the most significant threat to visitor safety during the event. Of concern to us is the impression that while crime levels have reduced at least marginally since the last major international sporting event hosted by South Africa (which we identify as the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup), the intensity of violence during the commission of robberies and other so-called 'contact crimes' has, we believe, increased. Our analysis of the published 2009 annual crime statistics, crime and what it means for 2010, showed a dramatic year-on-year increase in a 'trio of crimes'; business robberies, residential robberies and vehicle hi-jacking. The recent crime statistics reported an increase in kidnapping during the 2008/09 year of 9%. However, kidnap-related crimes are predominately associated with family unlawful abductions / detentions. Fortunately, South Africa does not suffer from the levels of commercial kidnapping experienced in Nigeria, the Philippines and some South American countries.

"Although overall the statistics suggest that one might be less at risk compared to a few years ago, one would seem to be more at risk of death, injury or serious assault should one be targeted by criminals."

Good News

Pasco's report gave South Africa good marks in certain areas; on terrorism (which became a cause celebre in international media when soccer players were targeted by a terrorist attack in Angola), the company reckons South Africa gets a good score: "Our assessment of counter-terrorism preparedness takes into account that there has thus far been no credible threat directed against the tournament; that South Africa has maintained an essentially non-aligned status in international relations; and that local authorities have extensive behind-the-scenes support from international counter-terrorism agencies. Taking all of these factors into account we conclude that while in today's geopolitical climate one can never rule out the possibility of an unexpected attack. South Africa is generally well prepared to counter and ideally prevent any serious incident."

Our airports and hotels are also well prepared for the event and gel high scores, and the stadia get a borderline pass - at the lime of the report, more work needed to be done on training safety stewards and marshals. On the whole, however, these aspects of a visitor's experience should be positive.

Getting Around

Another aspect of concern is transport infrastructure, says Nicholls. We have good airports and major highways, but "once I've reached my destination, how do I get around?" he asks. "Logistics on match days will be crucial."

The Pasco report gives South Africa a low score on transport. "... [at] last year's Confed Cup, transport logistics were hopelessly inadequate. The 'park and ride' system was poorly planned and implemented; too few buses at the correct places and poorly trained staff operating them were the system's death knell. The country's rapid transit system meant to shuttle people between centres and venues, Rea-Vaya, is in a shambles as a result of fierce opposition from Johannesburg's taxi operators. South Africa is expecting more than 400 000 visitors and during February, the parliamentary portfolio committee on tourism expressed concern about transport arrangements during June. Timetables for buses, trains and special arranged flights have not been published or made available. The portfolio committee told the department of transport to prioritise transport issues 'urgently'. Have things been left too late?" (Note: the Pasco report was published at the beginning of March, so we are sure things will have moved into high gear by the time you read this issue of Skyways.)

Tips for tourists

What can we do, as individual South Africans and as businesses servicing visitors, to help them have a better experience, given these risk factors?

Tourists are targeted because they:

• Display signs of affluence (cameras dangling round their necks, visible jewellery and the like);
• Wander into areas which are high-risk by accident;
• Have a feeling of being on holiday, a time out of time when the normal unwritten
• rules you would obey without thought at home are somehow suspended (rules like closing car windows and locking front doors, for example);
• Don't know the area and hence end up getting lost or driving slowly, demonstrating that they are innocents abroad to any canny onlooker.

Nicholls says that South Africans working in the travel and tourism sector candoa great deal to protect their visitors simply by giving them good advice at the outset: "Take sensible, common sense security measures: don't walk around at night alone, keep valuables out of sight, find out in advance where the nearest police stations are, plan your trip in advance." He suggests hiring a GPS along with your car if you plan to self-drive, so that you won't get lost or need to stop for directions, and sticking to well-surfaced, well-lit major roads instead of venturing off explorer-style. "Travelling with a group makes a lot of sense," he adds.

Finally, all of us who may encounter tourists during the World Cup period can help to give our country a pass mark, simply by being friendly and not exploiting them. Keep prices within normal ranges, whatever you're selling, and be quick to offer help or advice to those who need it.