Western Cape has been awarded the Safe Travels Stamp by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
This follows announcements by Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington, Cape Town and the V&A Waterfront that were also awarded the Safe Travels Stamp.
Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier, said receiving the WTTC Safety Stamp is another indication that the Western Cape is ready to open safely and ready to start doing business again.
"We are confident that not only do we offer visitors many affordable and world-class attractions, but we can also assure them that wherever they see the WTTC Safety Stamp in the Western Cape, they can know that there is the strictest adherence to the necessary health and safety global protocols being followed.
"WTTC designed the special Safe Travels stamp to enable travellers to identify governments and companies around the world that have adopted its health and hygiene global standardised protocols so that holidaymakers can experience ‘Safe Travels’," he explained.
Maynier said the global protocols were developed in collaboration with WTTC members, leading industry associations and international organisations, with the current guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in mind.
"Businesses have been working hard to implement the health and safety guidelines to stop the spread of Covid-19 in the workplace so that their staff and their customers are safe, and we have been working hard alongside them to provide the tools and resources they need to do this. Members of the public can also submit a complaint if a business is not complying with the necessary health guidelines to stop the spread of Covid-19," said Maynier.
He will be visiting businesses across the province to engage and identify ways to work together with them during September.
Businesses and local tourism authorities in the Western Cape who are interested in obtaining the Safety Stamp and protocols for application for their respective organisations can contact Inge at Wesgro at inge@wesgro.co.za