Tourism, Security and Safety From Theory to Practice

Learning Objectives
■
To describe the effects of crime against tourists on tourism demand at affected des-
tinations.
■
To discuss the effects of crime against tourists on repeat visitation at affected des-
tinations.
■
To understand the reasons why crime occurs at tourist destinations.
■
To know the specific effects that theft at tourist destinations have on visitation and
revisitation.
Introduction
1
Crimes against tourists occur throughout the world on a daily basis (Pizam and
Mansfield, 1996). These incidences cause not only anguish and at times
considerable financial loss, but can totally ruin the trip’s experience. Tourists take
trips to relax and get away from the stress of their lives or to conduct important
business. But the feelings of vulnerability that can accompany victimization can
alter perceptions about the destination, lead tourists not to return to the affected
destination, or stop them from traveling altogether.
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Tourism Security and Safety: From Theory to Practice
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Media reports and anecdotal evidence suggest that theft is the most common
crime experienced by tourists. But despite this, to date there have been few studies
that specifically looked at theft against tourists and analyzed the effects of this vic-
timization on future travel plans. In addition, it is not clear whether hearing that
friends or relatives have been victims of theft incidences in a particular destination
would affect tourists’ intention to travel to that destination.
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which having been a
victim of a theft while on a business or leisure trip, or having heard of such an
account from a friend or relative, will affect a person’s intention to visit or revisit
the affected destination.