Tourist harassment: review of the literature and destination responses

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to review the very limited literature on tourist harassment, discusses determinants and offers some policy suggestions for controlling the problem. Some emphasis is given to the Caribbean where harassment has been a long‐standing issue.Design/methodology/approachIn order to gauge the extent and patterns of harassment, an exhaustive review of the literature is conducted and two recent case studies on Barbados and Marmaris, Turkey are extensively summarized.FindingsResults indicate harassment is an increasing problem with global dimensions. Vendor persistence is the main type, followed by drug peddling and sexual harassment with most incidents occurring at the beach and/or shopping areas and the least at hotels. Regarding underlying determinants, the literature emphasizes host‐guest socio‐economic distances while the case studies emphasize cultural differences.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the research review is limited principally to third‐world destinations, suggested best practice policy directions are useful for mature destinations in developed countries. They include: involving all tourism stakeholders in addressing the issue, promoting programs to enhance resident‐visitor mutual understanding, improving reporting mechanisms and systematic tracking of the problem and, in the long run, integrating those at the margin who comprise most of the harassers into the tourism mainstream.Originality/valueThe paper fills a gap in the literature on a growing concern and concludes with two training exercises to deepen understanding of the issue.