The Impact of Security Devices on Tourists’ Perceived Safety: The Central Florida Example

Abstract

This article describes an empirical study of central Florida’s tourists regarding their overall sense of perceived safety and the impact of various safety devices on their overall feelings of safety while on vacation. Although the 166 tourists sampled generally reported a sense of safety, previous exposure to crime had an impact on the perception of safety. Certain physical and behavioral devices such as deadbolt locks, closed-circuit TV cameras, door view ports, caller screening by telephone operators, locked side entrances into the hotel, and routine visits to the hotel by police provided tourists with a greater sense of safety and security. A regression model indicated that tourists’ overall perceptions of safety in central Florida were dependent on their perceptions of the safety of theme parks, certain hotel physical security devices, their level of education, and the routine visibility of law enforcement officers at hotels.