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Tourism Safety and Security: Introduction

Article in Tourism Economics · June 2000

DOI: 10.5367/000000000101297505

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Tourism Economics, 2000, 6 (2), 105–108

Tourism safety and security

Introduction

A NDERS S TEENE
Head of Risk Research Group, Department of Social Sciences, Kalmar University College,
Box 905, S-391 29 Kalmar, Sweden. E-mail: anders.steene@sh.hik.se

Between 18 and 22 August 1999, 35 researchers and practitioners from 10

countries gathered at a conference in Kalmar, Sweden, to discuss safety and
security matters in the field of tourism and travel. The title of the conference
was ‘Improving Safety and Security at Tourism Destinations’. The subject may
be approached from three perspectives: risks within tourism and travel in today’s
society are of concern to the individual traveller, to the society the traveller
visits, and also to a third party – the company that arranges or sells the trip
and its interest in dealing with questions pertaining to risk. Eighteen papers
were presented at the Kalmar meeting, and those selected for this special issue
of Tourism Economics have been chosen to provide an overall insight into matters
linking tourism with safety and security.
The first article, by Mawby, focuses on the individual traveller’s perception
of safety and security, in terms of the risk–fear paradox. Little emphasis has been
placed on asking tourists about their risk and fear of crime and terrorist
incidents. Many people do take notions of safety into account when they choose
a holiday destination, but few see crime or disorder as a problem when they
subsequently go on holiday. Mawby’s findings are discussed in the context of
the risk–fear paradox that has been recognized in the victimological literature.
In the literature the paradox is that fear exceeds risk, but in the case of tourism
and crime it appears that risk exceeds fear, and this leads visitors to heighten
their exposure and so underlines the importance of crime prevention and com-
munity safety as policy priorities.
Pizam and Smith provide a quantitative analysis of major terrorism events
worldwide, classified by date, location, victims, weapons used, severity of dam-
age, motive, effect on tourism demand, and length of effect, for the period
1985–98. The terrorism acts identified in their study have not only caused
substantial destruction of private and public property but, more importantly,
have resulted in the death of 830 people and injuries to a further 1,465 people,
the majority of whom were innocent tourists. As a consequence, the tourism
industry at large must come together to combat the perceived and actual threats
this presents to the travelling public.
The authors conclude their paper by stating, ‘If terrorist acts are not repeated
at close intervals, tourists will come back again and the destination will recover.
106 TOURISM ECONOMICS

People will continue to want to travel, and they appear to be willing to consider
a place secure again following a terrorist act if proper marketing/image and crisis
management occurs or, depending on the nature of the act, simply if sufficient
time passes without further incident.’
In the article ‘Creating safe and secure communities in economically chal-
lenging times’, Tarlow discusses how to create a theory of tourism safety and
security in times of economic decline, and finishes by making some suggestions
for the benefit of the industry. He recommends, for example, the development
of a ‘Tourism Safety and Security Team’, high police visibility, police officers
who are willing to talk to strangers, police tourism training, employee security
training, proactive participation on tourist boards, coordination at a national
level, and the development of partnerships between local law enforcement,
tourism authorities and the private sector. In order to combat crime at tourism
destinations, close cooperation between all parts of society is necessary.
Safety, as an important quality dimension among senior tourists, is examined
by Lindqvist and Björk. They note that such tourists are mostly very loyal
customers, provided that high-quality services are offered, and they are careful
to evaluate external threats to their health and person. The authors conclude
their article with a study of elderly Finnish tourists, which shows that perceived
safety is an important dimension and that the perceived importance of this
dimension increases as the tourist gets older.
Cartwright reviews the variety of health risks associated with travel, noting
that, since ancient times, travel has been associated with the risk of acquiring
a disease (usually an infection). The type, severity and incidence of such a
possibility varies according to the geographical location of the visit and with
the type of travel. The business traveller staying in a five-star hotel is at much
lower risk than the back-packer visiting small villages in the rural areas of
developing countries. The destination may also have a significant influence on
the potential disease; for example, malaria is of real concern in parts of Africa
but does not affect travellers to North America.
Cartwright concludes, ‘All travel has associated health hazards that need to
be recognized not only by travellers but also by tour operators and governments.
The development of tourism areas requires proper consideration of the public
health infrastructure, with particular emphasis on the provision of safe water
and efficient sewage and solid waste removal. . . . In order to maintain an active
and cost-effective reduction programme, the surveillance of travel-associated
diseases must be maintained and improved.’
With reference to health associated risks, MacLaurin et al analyse international
air travellers’ attitudes and perceptions on the importance of food safety, sources
of information about food safety and the value of a global grading system for
food service establishments. Their results indicate that the reported incidence
of food-borne illness increases with the frequency of travel. Survey respondents
considered friends and relatives who had already visited a destination to be the
best source of food safety information. Travel plans had been altered out of
concern about food safety and the reputation of the destination in that regard.
Eighty per cent of respondents stated that they would benefit from a standard-
ized food safety grading system for the world’s eating establishments.
Hunter-Jones studies the demand for foreign holidays in the UK, where the
travel trade is under many competitive pressures in a price-sensitive market.
 Tourism safety and security 107

Package companies have had to adapt to a new legal environment, which

demands responsibility from them for the services supplied, so that they can
no longer regard themselves as simply the agents of their foreign suppliers. The
great majority of accidents and injuries are minor, and many are the result of
factors that are difficult to control. However, given the many millions that are
travelling overseas, there are also many serious accidents and injuries.
The overseas holiday can involve a number of bodies, and it is neither clearly
resolved in law nor in the minds of the various parties how far their respon-
sibility should go. This uncertainty can encourage the conditions in which
accidents and illnesses breed. The increasing willingness of consumers to litigate
has begun to bring clarification in this area. The law still has some difficulty
in resolving matters such as the standard of safety, the rights of consumers to
information, the role of government, and the responsibilities of consumers and
whether they should accept that holidays carry inherent risks. In the meantime,
Hunter-Jones argues, governments should take the lead in the guidance they
give to consumers and the tourism industry, and should try to establish clarity
for all parties. A failure to take action of any kind will not be in the interests
either of holidaymakers or of the industry.
Although there are many reasons for a successful tourism product, such as
the quality of service, a ‘good time’, beautiful scenery, and/or interesting
encounters, all these factors require a safe and secure destination. In planning
for tourism, we have to focus on how tourism locations can improve this vital
tourism industry function. Therefore, the main objectives are:
• to identify the risks associated with travel and tourism;
• to design ways to reduce such risks; and
• to find ways to overcome the negative consequences of illness, accidents and
incidents.
But we also need to focus on issues of responsibility, including,
• communities and their responsibility toward tourists and tourism businesses;
• tourism enterprises and their responsibilities towards tourists; and
• the responsibilities of individual tourists.
The model shown in Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between the conference
theme and the key objectives and players.

Players Community Tourism Individual

Objectives enterprises tourists
To identify the risks associated Improving safety
with tourism and travel
To design ways to reduce and security at
such risks
To find ways to overcome
negative consequences tourism destinations

Figure 1. Relationship between the theme of safety and security and the key
objectives and players.
 108 TOURISM ECONOMICS

To summarize, we can say that the individual traveller assesses the possible
dangers to which he or she may be exposed, ranging from crime to health risks.
The traveller also judges the trustworthiness of the travel organizer when it
comes to the ability to deliver what has been promised in the marketing of the
destination. The tour operator assesses the destination’s power of attraction, as
well as factors that may have a positive or negative effect on the destination’s
overall image. Nearly all the variables used by the tour operator in making this
assessment are the same as those that apply when the individual traveller makes
a safety assessment. There are, however, some additional factors – these include
infrastructural aspects, such as the transportation system, the quality of the food,
water and sanitation, as well as health care. Infrastructural assessments are not
commonly part of the individual traveller’s decision making, because he or she
neither expects to become ill nor expects the water and sewage system to be
a cause for concern.
The society that receives the traveller must carry out its own assessments of
risk in terms of tourist amenities and facilities. Are there enough local resources
for both the local population and the incoming travellers and tourists? Can
the destination provide food, water, health-care and emergency life-saving serv-
ices, as well as taking care of the environment in general? In the event of
political unrest, how will this affect the labour market, the economy, the
building sector and social organization? Are there going to be demands for tax-
breaks or for attractive property to be supplied at a low cost, so that investors
are willing to provide development capital for the destination? Will the opening
up of the destination lead to ethnographic risks for the population in the long
run?
Thus, there are many questions to be both asked and answered by a variety
of actors when we talk about risk management within tourism and travel. Risk
analysis, which needs to account for the perspectives of different agents, has a
particular multidisciplinary quality, to which social science may contribute with
analytical tools drawn from economic, social, and geographical disciplines. Social
scientists may also put forward appropriate strategies for implementation by the
political system, by virtue of their understanding of the structure of society in
a market economy. Natural science may offer theories and models for environ-
mental and natural resource planning, exploring the threats and opportunities
at the destination. Linking different research traditions provides fertile ground
for multidisciplinary cooperation, to the benefit of all parties concerned. With
that in mind, I give you the articles.

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