Happy World Tourism Day 2018! May each and everyone in the industry experience abundant tourism growth and long-lasting industry relationships.

The end of September also means that we are preparing for the excitement of the high season and getting ready to welcome much-needed visitors to our city. We recently hosted pre-season customer service training sessions to equip tourism businesses with the skills needed to support tourism growth. It was inspiring to see the passion and commitment displayed by all those who attended and re-confirmed the dedication of members to the creation of memorable visitor experiences.

We are committed to doing everything that we can to ensure that visitors to the city enjoy a safe and positive experience in Cape Town. We will continue to encourage you to alert visitors to crime hotspot areas and encourage them to either avoid these areas or to proceed with vigilance.

While we understand your concerns that these warnings may spoil the visitor experience, we believe that once the visitor is in the destination, it is our duty to communicate openly with them. Please therefore continue to share our hiking, general safety and water-saving tips with your guests.

In developing news, we welcome the announcement by President Ramaphosa and Minister Gigaba regarding the visa amendments and look forward to further clarity in October.

I wish you well with your preparations for the high season.