THIS TOURISM WEEK Number 60 - Wednesday, 21 February 2007

Brought to you By ChakariNet

Web Masters for http://www.badguest.co.za/

 

A PRO-ACTIVE SITE FOR FIGHTING CRIME

Want the BarefootBenefit? There’s more at the end of this message.

And, just so’s you know - This Tourism Week is

PROUDLY BAREFOOT AND FULLY SOUTH AFRICAN

You hear so much about crime these days - and you see so few tangible, workable solutions - that it’s good to hear (at last) about a pro-active initiative that has real potential.

http://www.badguest.co.za/ is a new site that seeks to protect the accommodation sector of South Africa’s tourism industry from one of its worst nightmares - bad guests. And what I like about it is that, rather than trying to offer a compromise solution to all crime (an impossible thing that only a politician would wish for), it targets a specific area of crime - and offers a solution.

“The tourism industry is very susceptible as, by the very nature of its business, its arms and front doors are always wide open,” said Chris Hamilton, a spokesperson for the site.

“Hospitality establishments are subject to abuse, vandalism, theft, fraud and bilking and there’s never before been any way of finding out whether potential guests have a history of this kind of behaviour,” he said.

The idea for the Bad Guest web site was sparked by a letter published in Getaway magazine (January 2007) in which a writer complained that her establishment had been trashed by guests and that there was no central database where information and details could be recorded.

“Bad Guest is a little like a star grading system for guests as opposed to establishments,” said Mr Hamilton. “It provides members a database of information which they can search before they agree to accept reservations from individuals.”

The concept is simple and user friendly. Members pay a small annual registration fee for a password which allows them to search or add information to the data base.

“If a guest commits a crime, damages your property or fails to pay you, you can upload information like photographs, first- and second names, identity numbers, passport numbers, cell numbers and car registration numbers. A message is then sent to all registered users alerting them that a new report has been put up,” said Mr Hamilton.

To ensure that the information it contains is legitimate and confidential, the database is accessible to paid users only. “Bad Guest does not interfere, own, manage or manipulate any of the information,” said Mr Hamilton. “The users are the messengers - we supply only the cleft stick.”

Mr Hamilton stressed that Bad Guest is not a policing or a security unit, “but simply an aid for legitimate, hard-working and ethical owners to be able to try and curb crime within their industry through networking. Obviously the more members we have the wider the net will become - and with tighter controls in place the criminal element will be eased out so that tourism’s doors can be kept open for legitimate guests.”

Bad Guest offers full support and a series of added benefits like security tips, updates on scams and information on internet fraud and viruses.

“We also offer a down-loadable sign for members to display. Hopefully this will discourage would-be criminals and Bad Guest will thus become a preventative and defensive tool,” said Mr Hamilton.

I urge you to join Bad Guest - visit http://www.badguest.co.za/ for more.

Want To Speak To More Than 6,200 Names In The Tourism Industry?

This Tourism Week is incredibly well-read - the feedback and the statistics prove it. It goes to more than 6,200 people in all sectors of South Africa’s tourism economy - from government leaders to owners of tiny, one-person businesses; from hotel managers to tour guides; and from journalists to restaurateurs.

And now it’s available to you.

Because, after much thought and many cups of strategy-inducing coffee, I’ve decided to make space available to sponsors who want to speak to my audience. Mail me if you have a product or service that’s of interest to the tourism industry - and let’s see how we can use this powerful networking tool to better tourism in the Beloved Country.

…Have a Great Tourism Week!

 

MARTIN HATCHUEL

BarefootWriter

VISIT THIS TOURISM WEEK

Brilliantly designed by S2 Web Solutions, http://www.thistourismweek.co.za/ offers back issues, useful links and a media room with downloadable releases and high res images. And remember to go to the Products and Services page to download my paper ‘Managing Perceptions - The Care And Feeding Of The Media.’ You’ll see I have a lot to say about managing the media during a crisis.

… AND AN INVITATION

I’m always looking for subjects for feature articles in This Tourism Week. Please mail mailto:martin@barefootclients.co.za?subject=Invitation:%20TTW if you have information of broad general interest

to more than 6,200 readers in South Africa’s Tourism Industry.

Want the BarefootBenefit?

Visit http://www.barefootclients.co.za/
The BarefootBenefit

BarefootClients provides communications services (copy writing, advertising, printing and that kind of stuff) as well as strategy planning and creative thought for select clients who share our Barefoot On The Beach approach to business.

It’s simple. We believe that successful marketing creates relationships - friendships - between businesses and their customers. Our job is to help you develop friendships with your clients: to make them so comfortable with you that they’ll happily walk Barefoot On The Beach with you … Because business works best between friends. That’s the BarefootBenefit.

Want it? Visit http://www.barefootclients.co.za/

ABOUT THIS TOURISM WEEK

This Tourism Week is a personal e-letter and informed commentary on issues affecting South Africa’s tourism industry. If you don’t want to read it, please e-mail mailto:martin@barefootclients.co.za?subject=TTW%20UNSUBSCRIBE - but if you think it’s worth sharing, please forward this message to your friends and ask them to subscribe.

Please note that the articles in This Tourism Week may only be reproduced with permission.

Want it? Mail me - mailto:martin@thistourismweek.co.za?subject=Permission%20to%20Reproduce:%20TTW.

 

Back issues: http://www.thistourismweek.co.za/

 

This Tourism Week, 63 Wilson Street, Hunter’s Home, PO Box 2690, Knysna 6570

Telephone +27(0)44 384 1810 | Cell +27(0)84 951 0574 | mailto:martin@barefootclients.co.za?subject=Enquiry:%20TTW

 

PROUDLY BAREFOOT. FULLY SOUTH AFRICAN

 

BULK MAIL SERVICE: CHAKARINET