Tourism, Security and Safety From Theory to Practice

The Impact of Crimes on Tourists’ Decision to Return to a Destination
Little information is available in the area of the effects of crime on revisitation.
Mawby (2000) looked at revisitation as a very small aspect of his study. In
his study Mawby looked at victims and nonvictims in relation to revisitation.
The results indicated that 56% of the subjects who were victims of crimes at
a tourist destination indicated that they would definitely return to the destina-
tion affected. Only 14% of victims said they would probably or definitely not
return. These results were somewhat surprising, as one would have expected that
most, if not all, of those who were victimized by a crime at a tourist destination
would choose to not revisit it in the future. But in this study, victimization does
not seem to have had a significant influence on the decision to return to a tourist
destination.
In a study of international travelers, Sönmez and Graefe (1998) examined the
influences of international travel regarding past experiences, types of risk, and the
overall degree of safety felt during international travel. These factors were exam-
ined in conjunction with the likelihood of individuals to travel to or avoid various
regions on their next international trip. The findings showed that past travel expe-
rience and risk perceptions influenced future travel behavior. Regarding safety,
interest in future international travel was influenced by the degree of safety indi-
viduals felt during past international travel trips. As well, past travel experiences,
in which perceptions of risk and feelings of safety were experienced, influenced
the avoidance of those areas rather than the likelihood to return. Results also
showed that travelers who have more experience of a particular region may become
more confident and thus more likely to return.
Last but not least, in a study conducted by George (2003) tourists’ decisions to
return to a destination were analyzed. Overall, a little more than 50% said that
they would very likely return to Cape Town, a South African city that is currently
experiencing a high rate of crimes against tourists and residents alike. As
expected, a negative association was found between having been a victim of crime
or feeling unsafe and the likelihood of return. More than half of those who
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claimed that they were very likely to return to Cape Town had not encountered an
incident of crime, or had not felt that their life was in danger during their stay. The
purpose of the respondent’s visit played a factor in their perception of safety as
well. Respondents who were traveling on holiday and visiting friends and family
were less likely to return than were business travelers. The author felt that this
response was possibly because business travelers most likely do not have a choice
of whether they return.