Joburg Tourism has partnered with the National Department of Tourism (NDT) and the Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) to implement a tourism safety programme that will involve key tourism sites and attractions.
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According to the city’s MMC of Economic Development Clr Leah Knott, the attractions will be included as part of the Pilot Project for Tourism Monitors for a period of 36 months.
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Knott said tourism plays a vital role in driving the implementation of the city’s economic growth and employment strategy, with the achievement of increased visitor numbers, investment and job creation as key deliverables.
“The Tourism Monitors Programme has been introduced to enhance safety and the visitor experience in Joburg. Sixty unemployed youth in the city from the ages of 18 to 35 years, with the majority being women, have been recruited,” she said.
Each recruit will receive a stipend and a uniform.
“They will also receive accredited and non-accredited training, mentorship and practical work experience.
“The training comprises First Aid, customer care, communication skills, service excellence, tourism information, basic site tour-guiding, community patrolling, and crime-spotting,” said Knott.
The objective of the training is to ensure that tourism attractions and sites are safer and that the staff are more customer-centric when dealing with visitors.
“The programme comes as a victory for our city’s unemployed, who until now, were forced to fend for themselves on the fringes of society. It is for this reason that this administration is putting all its resources at the heart of job creation, and ensuring that we stimulate the city’s economic growth,” she said.
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