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The relationship between tourism and crime
The growth of tourism is often associated with increases in the level of certain types of crime (Mathieson & Wall 1982; Pi/am & Mansfeld 1996). The tourism-intensive Surfers Paradise neighbourhood of the Gold Coast, for example, records significantly higher levels of criminal activity than adjacent suburbs (Prideaux 1996). Given such evidence, it is tempting to conclude that the growth in tourism is causing the growth in illegal behaviour. As with the demonstration effect, the linkage is actually far more complicated, since, again, the growth of tourism may be associated with a broader process of modernisation and development that could be the real underlying source of social instability and hence criminal behaviour. Yet tourism lends itself to being set tip as the scapegoat, since this places the guilt on 'others' and diverts scrutiny away from more fundamental problems in the society. In addition, some tourism-related crimes are very visible and highly publicised, thus resulting in a disproportionate emphasis on tourism as the reason for such activity. Another perspective is that tourism growth is usually accompanied by growth in the resident population, so that the actual number of crimes might be increasing without any actual growth in the per capita crime rate.
With these provisos in mind, the link between totirism and crime can be discussed in a rational manner, first with respect to totirism in general and then with reference to specific types of tourism that entail or foster a criminal connection. A distinction can also be made between criminal acts directed towards the tourists and those committed b\ tourists. The general connection is largely founded on the observation that tourists are often wealthier than the local people, and that the two groups come into close contact with one another. As a result, tourists offer a tempting and convenient target for that small minority of the local population that is determined to acquire some of this wealth for themselves, or who wish to exploit the tourists in some other way. At one end of the spectrum where the element of illegality is vague or borderline are locals who engage in overpricing or begging. Escalating towards the other end of the spectrum are unambiguously criminal activities involving theft, assault and murder.
The attractiveness of tourists as targets of crime is enhanced by several factors, including:
• tourists may be highly conspicuous because of their race, clothing, speech, location (frontstage) and tendency to carry cameras or backpacks, therein' presenting a readily identifiable target to criminals
• tourists are more likely to be carrying and displaying objects of value
• there is an increased probability that tourists may inadvertently stray into a dangerous neighbourhood or become lost over the local road network
• tourists are 'strangers' in the destination, and few people will be aware of their specific activity patterns or will notice if they do not return to their accommodation after a certain period of time
• tourists' lack of familiarity with local services or language may produce
long delays between when the crime takes place and when it is reported
to authorities.
The high exposure of tourists to criminal activity in some regions is illustrated by the finding that during the early 1990s British tourists had a l-in-14 chance of having property stolen during their Caribbean vacation (Shaw & Williams 1994). '
In this general perspective, it is the tourist, who is usually the victim. However, criminal acts can also be committed by the tourists themselves, either against the locals or other tourists. Where certain forms of tourism either foster or entail criminal activities, it is the tourist who is usually seen as the lead player in initiating or engaging in some kind of illegal behaviour-. The most, obvious example invokes forms of tourism, such as those involving certain types of -related activitv, which are defined as illegal by destination authorities. In other cases, the tourism activitv is not inherently illegal, but a strong criminal association may exist. Gambling is one of the best examples of this indirect relationship, given the involvement of organised crime elements, prostitutes and participants who may engage in criminal activity to feed their gaming addictions. Finally, there are tourist activities that can degenerate into criminal behaviour because of the presence of alcohol (e.g. Australia's 'Schoolies Week', see page 188), rivalry situations (e.g. English soccer hooligans travelling to France during the 1998 World Cup) or some other crime stimulant.
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