Enemies of the Zululand economy

The possible consequences of even a minor event must never be underestimated.

We refer here to last week’s incident when a local metered taxi driver twice charged a French tourist R500 for a mere 500-metre trip.

This was nothing short of calculated highway robbery.

This might be viewed as a minor isolated case of a single unscrupulous taxi operator fleecing a tourist.

But it is not. One can safely assume that this kind of rip-off goes on all the time.

While South African tourists often report similar scams when they travel abroad, it doesn’t make it acceptable.

uMhlathuze Community Tourism Organisation’s Sipho Mchunu hit the nail right on the head in condemning the incident.

‘News of this type of rip-off gets around quickly in tourism circles,’ he warned.

Indeed.

Add to that a letter from a Cape Town visitor in the same issue of the ZO in which the taxi article appeared.

He was hauled off to jail by over zealous police when he stopped at a shopping centre to ask directions. He won’t be returning anytime soon.

Tourism is one of the biggest industries worldwide – and worth many millions a year to the local economy.

But when visitors are ripped off by taxi drivers, badgered by police, receive arrogant service by restaurant waiters, shoddy cuisine from chefs who do not have pride in their work or deal with sullen-face gum-chewing shop or supermarket assistants – all too familiar occurrences in Zululand – word will quickly spread that we are not a tourist-friendly destination.

The consequences of this are obvious.

Successful tourism relies on the buy-in of all commercial sectors to ensure the common good is served.

Local tourism marketing agents therefore need to do far more than publishing pretty pictures in glossy promotional magazines and websites and hope for the best.

Friendly and professional service delivery – read word-of-mouth marketing – is by far the most effective.

That is the task – to make the thieving taxi driver, cowboy cops and gum-chewing sloths in the commercial sector understand that their actions make them enemies of the Zululand economy.