Sociology of Tourism - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 240

Family vacations, as we have seen, are a mainstay of tourism as beaches and sun are mainstays of
family vacations. Here we observe the traditional family sharing of sun and sand. Photocourtesyof
PanamaCityBeachConventionandVisitorsBureau.

effects of this phenomenon are noted when visitors from North America or Europe travel in an
emerging country that has a primitive culture or a culture characterized by a low (economic) standard
of living and an unsophisticated population. The visitor is in uenced by the contrast in culture.
Generally, however, this brings about an increased appreciation for qualities of life in the society
visited that may not be present at home.
A favorable situation exists when visitors and residents of the host country mingle socially and
become better acquainted. This greatly increases the awareness of one another ' s character and

qualities, building appreciation and respect in both groups.

Tourism: Security and Crime

Unfortunately, tourists can be easy prey for criminals. Tourists do not know about dangerous areas or
local situations in which they might be very vulnerable to violent crimes. They become easy marks for
robbers and other offenders because they are readily identi ed and are usually not very well equipped
to ward off an attack.
Sometimes popular tourist attractions such as parks or beaches are within walking distance from
hotel areas. However, a walking tour from the hotel may bring the tourist into a high-crime area lying
directly in the path taken to reach this attraction. If such high-crime areas exist, active efforts must be
made to inform visitors and guests. Hotels and others that publish maps of walking tours should route
such tours into safe areas only. Also, they should warn guests of the danger that could arise if the
visitor undertakes certain activities.
Crimes against tourists result in bad publicity and create a negative image in the minds of
prospective visitors. Thus, tour companies tend to avoid destinations that have the reputation for crimes
against tourists. Eventually, no matter how much effort is applied to publicize the area

sbene ts and
visitor rewards, failure to minimize crime will result in decreasing popularity and destination failure.
Pizam, Reichel, and Shieh found that tourism expenditures had a negligible effect on crime. 1
However, they suggested that tourism could be considered a potential determinant of crime,

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