Crime, criminal activity and tourism performance: issues from the Caribbean

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the many negative implications of crime for tourism in the Caribbean, with particular regard to the economic costs, the loss of long‐term investment and the impact of illegal drugs.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides an analysis in three sections: The first section provides a preliminary discussion on problems of crime and criminal activity in the Caribbean especially as they relate to tourism. The second main part singles out certain areas of concern, namely, economic costs, long‐term investment dampening, illicit drugs, gangs, indirect costs, and youth as the primary perpetrators of crime in the region. The final section offers policy considerations towards halting the impact of crime and criminal activity on Caribbean tourism performance.FindingsThe paper concludes that Caribbean governments have to do more to protect their most important industry, and recommends a combination of both hard and soft policing measures and educational programs targeting youth, which emphasise the avoidance of criminal behaviour.Practical implicationsThe paper advocates an integrated approach in order to address the issue of crime in society and also the central questions as to how to punish criminality and how to address its root causes.Originality/valueThe paper identifies marketing implications for tourism destinations, especially in relation to the perceptions of a given destination.