Tourism Economics

Considerable attention has been paid within tourism management and the tourism academic community to tourists' fear of crime and disorder. However, with few exceptions, this attention has focused predominantly on the impact of high-profile crimes and terrorist incidents on choice of destination. Moreover, although, again, there is an established tradition of interviewing residents of tourist locations about their perceptions of the (negative) impacts of tourism, little emphasis has been placed on asking tourists themselves. The research discussed in this paper attempted to fill these two voids by deploying a victim survey with a national sample of British people, focusing on their last holiday. The findings confirm the high victimization rates experienced by tourists. However, although many people took notions of safety into account in choosing a holiday area or country, few saw crime or disorder as a problem when they subsequently went on holiday. These findings are explored in the context of the risk–fear paradox that is acknowledged in the victimological literature. But, while in that context the paradox is that fear exceeds risk, in the case of tourism and crime it appears that risk exceeds fear. The results underline the importance of crime prevention and community safety as policy priorities.

Since before the end of the Cold War, terrorism acts have had major effects on tourism destinations. As a result, the ‘shadowy, mobile, and unpredictable’ forces of terrorism are becoming an unfortunate part of the travel and tourism landscape. Few can forget the explosion that killed three in Paris in 1986, the home-made pipe bomb in Tel Aviv in 1990, the November 1997 massacre of 58 tourists at Luxor's Temple of Hatshepsut in Egypt, and the Kenyan and Tanzanian US Embassy truck bombings killing 263 in August 1998. This paper provides a quantitative analysis of major terrorism events around the world during 1985–98, classified by date, location, victims, weapons used, severity of damage, motive, effect on tourism demand, and length of effect. The analysis is followed by a summary and conclusions about the magnitude of the impact of these events on host destinations and the tourism industry worldwide.

This paper addresses the relationship between economic decline and crimes against tourists. Through a theoretical examination of the possible impacts of an economic downturn on tourism-related crime, the author develops a series of ideas and recommendations for the formulation of a strategic approach to combat the potential negative effects. In his theoretical analysis, the author first looks at some of the sociological theories that have contributed towards the development of tourism science. He then relates these to the disciplines of economics and criminology. Through these connections, the paper develops taxonomies that merge sociological tourism profiles with theories of economic decline.

The discussion of competitive edge in companies is often based on issues of quality and loyalty. Senior tourists are mostly very loyal to tourism companies provided that high-quality services are offered. Perceived quality is the result of a cognitive elaboration, including a comparison of individual needs and wants with the product offered by the company. Ageing takes place in three dimensions – physiological, sociological and cognitive – changing the consumer requirements that the tourism industry has to meet. Safety is the quality dimension analysed in this paper and age-related personal safety (ARPS) is distinguished from general personal safety (GPS). The results from quasi-structured interviews carried out in Finland among senior tourists show that perceived safety is an important factor in their decision making and that the perceived importance of this factor increases as the tourist grows older.

All travel has associated health risks that need to be recognized not only by travellers, but also by tour operators and governments. In this context, the author considers some of the infections that have been contracted by package holiday tourists from the UK. With 15 million package holidays sold in the UK each year and increasing consumer concern about health risks, health is now a major factor in customer satisfaction. Media exposure and possible legal action when expectations are not met mean that the need to reduce the health risks associated with travel is crucial for the tourism industry as well as for travellers themselves. This paper sets out the main hazards and risks and examines what actions can and should be taken by tour operators, destination countries, and tourists. The author stresses the importance of ensuring a proper health infrastructure in the development of tourist areas; the need for operators to stipulate minimum hotel standards, backed up by regular auditing; the responsibility of tourists to ensure that they do not expose themselves to unnecessary risks; and the significance of surveillance systems in the control of travel-related diseases.

This study examines international air travellers' attitudes and perceptions of the importance of food safety, sources of information on food safety, and the value of a global grading system for food service establishments. A survey questionnaire was used to gather data from travellers at Changi International Airport, Singapore. Results indicated an increase in the reported incidence of food-borne illness occurring with increased frequency of travel. Friends who had travelled to the destination were considered the best source of food safety information. Travel plans were altered out of concern about food safety and the food safety reputation of the destination. Eighty per cent of respondents stated that they would benefit from a standardized food safety grading system for the world's eating establishments.

Taking the case of UK holidaymakers in foreign destinations, this paper seeks to identify whether the responsibility for risk while on holiday is clear to tourists and the tourism industry. ‘Risk’ is considered in terms of holiday illness and injury, and their causes. In particular, the author considers activities that carry an inherent risk (such as skiing); the law as it relates to responsibility for safety; and the approaches taken by those responsible for safety. An issue of particular concern is the conflict between the need for providers of holidays to remain competitive in holiday pricing and their responsibility to protect the health and safety of their customers. The paper demonstrates that weaknesses exist in the present situation and, crucially, that there is a serious lack of clarity: there is confusion among the various parties involved in the provision and taking of a holiday as to the extent of their particular responsibility. In his concluding remarks, the author makes recommendations for change.