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Cape Town - A whiff of panic surrounds the tourism industry after deadly xenophobic attacks that have prompted travel warnings from Western nations and led some Africans to cancel visits.
Tourism is a cornerstone of the economy, contributing 8% of annual GDP and employing about 1m people.
Some 8.4m people visited last year, with the number
expected to rise to 10m by 2010, when South Africa hosts
the soccer World Cup.
"It looks like there is panic among tourists across the
globe but mainly from Africa," said Reynold Thakhuli, spokesman
for the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, which is
fielding worried calls from major tourist partners overseas.
Germany was among the first countries to issue a travel
advisory after mob rampages that have killed at least 42 African immigrants and prompted more than 15 000 others to flee
Johannesburg area shantytowns since May 11.
The German Foreign Ministry advised visitors to avoid
central Johannesburg and outlying townships.
The U.S. government issued a travel alert that outlined some
of the risks of traveling in South Africa at the moment.
Americans represent the second largest single group of foreign
overseas visitors to South Africa after the British.
"While there have been no reports of American or other
non-African visitors being targeted, these incidents of mob
violence have sprung up quickly and proven difficult for local
authorities to control," the U.S. government said.
Canada also has urged its citizens to avoid trips to
townships, which are a common feature of group package tours to
South Africa.
Soweto, which has not been touched by the violence, is the
township most often included on such tours.
"Some tours to Soweto have been cancelled ... in response to
international concerns," said Angela Shackleford, general
manager for touring and safaris at Thompson Tours, one of South
Africa's largest tour operators.
While those in the travel industry say they have not
experienced a significant drop in bookings by foreign visitors,
they admit that there have been some cancellations since the
violence began.
About one-third of those expected to attend a recent African
businesswomen's conference in Cape Town cancelled. Most of the
cancellations came from Nigeria and Guinea.
Tourism council spokesman Thakhuli noted that 60 percent of
South Africa's visitors came from other parts of Africa.
Officials in Cape Town, the gem of the tourism sector, have
vowed to respond strongly and quickly to any groundswell of
anti-foreign or other violence. The city has not been affected
by the current wave of attacks.
- Reuters