(Re-)creating Urban Destination Image: Opinions of Foreign Visitors to South Africa on Safety and Security?

Abstract

The intention of tourists to visit urban destinations is influenced by their perceptions or their knowledge of that destination. Risk perceptions, although situation specific, have an impact on travel behaviour. Mega events are once-off occasions in which a negative perception of destination, in this case related to crime, can be turned into a positive image. Can the 2010 Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup (WC) help South Africa undo the current perceptions and opinions, especially among foreign visitors, that our cities are dangerous places to visit? Can South Africa manage the 2010 WC in such a way that the destination image can be changed to a more positive one? It is within the context of speculating about the potential impacts the event may have in 2010 on reshaping internationally (and nationally) the safety and security image that visitors have of South African cities as crime ridden that this paper aims mainly to investigate international visitors’ perceptions and opinions on safety and security. Nine hundred and seven international visitors were interviewed when exiting the country at the OR Tambo and Cape Town International airports. The findings revealed that more than a third of the respondents indicated that they were worried about their safety before travelling to South Africa, that the central business districts of Cape Town and Johannesburg are the most feared places they visited and 6% of the respondents were victims of crime. Perceptions, however, changed for the better after their visit to the country, and it is against this background that the 2010 WC can potentially show the world that the country is a safe destination to visit and in the process re-create the destination’s image as a safe tourist experience.