News

Travellers planning trips to Johannesburg, Cape Town and other popular South African destinations will be interested to hear that a pilot project has been launched in the country to combat illegal tour guides.

The scheme was launched by the South African department of environmental affairs and tourism in Pretoria last week, according to SouthAfrica.info.

Methods intended to curb illegal tour guiding will include increased registration of guides, better education programmes and site inspections of businesses that conduct guided tours.

Sindiswa Nhlumayo, deputy director general of the environmental affairs and tourism department, said the quality of tour guides is crucial to the South African travel industry.

'Tourist guides constitute a vital link between the tourists and our country's attraction sites,' she said.

'In so doing, tourist guides serve as ambassadors of the tourism sector.'

The pilot project will be launched in Gauteng, a province that boasts tourist attractions including a rhino and lion nature reserve and the Apartheid Museum.

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