Tourism industry pulls together as taxi strike violence heats up around Cape Town International Airport
With violence erupting near the airport, SATSA members are pulling together to smooth the way for travellers…
SATSA says its industry WhatsApp groups have been highly active today as tourism stakeholders share on-the-ground updates and up-to-date advice to help smooth the way for fellow operators to travel to and from Cape Town International Airport where violence erupted this morning, on the fifth day of the taxi strikes.
Two people were tragically killed this morning near the airport as the ongoing strikes causes disruption in and around Cape Town. This weekend both the UK and Australia issued warnings to their citizens about travel to the Mother City.
SATSA Chair Oupa Pliane says: “Our members have been actively helping each other navigate these disruptions to limit the impact on guests, who are arriving and departing on domestic and international flights. However, while we have an excellent community of stakeholders who are mitigating the impact on travellers, we are not immune as a destination to the longer-term impacts of such a strike and resulting acts of violence.
“It is a great pity that Capetonians and visiting tourists must endure this disturbance. For tourism, however, the implications are far greater than a short-term inconvenience and safety implications for guests and staff, to whom we are deeply thankful for making every effort to keep the tourism industry functioning despite the challenges they face.”
In the medium to long term, this is particularly damaging from a destination reputation perspective, says Pilane. Illustrating this, the Australian and UK Governments have already issued an advisory about the strikes, warning travellers about the disruption and violence.
“When one considers that just a few weeks ago Cape Town was listed the #1 city in the world by the Telegraph Travel Awards, this kind of behaviour does tourism and its ability to contribute to the economy and job creation no favours,” Pilane continues.
Several taxis have been impounded following blockages around the airport:
SATSA members operating in Cape Town report that it is business as usual. “The tourism industry is incredibly resilient and used to dealing with crises. As usual, we will handle this one professionally and do everything we can to ensure that our guests’ experience is as smooth and safe as possible so that they have an exceptional stay in the Mother City, return and tell others of their positive experience,” Pilane says.