The V&A Waterfront is the first tourist attraction in South Africa to adopt the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Safe Travels stamp.
Designed specifically to address COVID-19 and similar outbreaks, the stamp has been awarded to about 80 travel destinations and 1 200 companies worldwide that are enforcing comprehensive measures to safeguard the health of visitors, tenants and employees.
The Safe Travels stamp represents best-practice guidelines that aim to help restart the tourism sector in the wake of COVID-19, by building confidence among travellers. The global protocols, which were developed in collaboration with WTTC members, industry associations and international organisations, are based on criteria set by the WHO and US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Safe Travels stamp is awarded only once all the health and hygiene protocols have been implemented.
In addition to intensifying its cleaning and sanitising regime, the V&A has instituted other measures, including contactless payments for parking, and drive-through shopping pick-ups. ‘We know that people are concerned for their safety but are also looking forward to getting out and to start living again,’ says V&A Waterfront CEO David Green. ‘By taking every precaution, the V&A Waterfront will make it possible to do so as safely as possible.’
Also in the Western Cape, the town of Stellenbosch was the first South African destination to be awarded the Safe Travels Stamp, in early July.
