Just how much do the perceptions of crime and safety influence tourists’ travelling to emerging countries?

• Main Author: Dr Adéle Potgieter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AfricaJournals 2019-05-01
• Series: African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure
• Subjects: Crime; safety; perceptions; first-time visitors; repeat tourist visit
• Online Access: https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_12_vol_8_3__2019.pdf

South Africa with its diverse cultures and numerous tourist offerings, remains an attractive destination for travellers across the world. Tourism in South Africa contributes largely to the economic growth of the country, however, the country is internationally recognised as a country with a high crime rate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the perception of crime and safety on first- time and repeat tourists in the George and Wilderness areas of the Western Cape Province. This study was quantitative in nature and incorporated a descriptive design. The target population of the study included domestic and international tourists who visited the George and Wilderness areas during or prior to the study. A non-probability sampling was incorporated through the use of convenience sampling method and 152 respondents took part in the study. Descriptive statistics and Person’s Chi-square tests were used to analyse the data. The research findings indicate that that media reporting on crime in South Africa influences the overall image of the country, yet do not deter first-time or repeat tourists from visiting the country. The results of the study, in addition, indicated that there is no relation between whether tourists or their friends and family have been affected by crime in the George and Wilderness areas and their repeat visits. These results confirm that tourists traveling to developing countries accept higher levels of crime. No clear relation exists between clear signage, including clear signposts and notifications of crime in the area and repeat visits of tourists.