The Correlation Between Tourism and Crime in South Africa and Nigeria

This paper explores the correlation between tourism and crime in South Africa and Nigeria. It discusses the impact of crime on tourism and economic development in these countries.

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Abstract

South Africa and Nigeria are one of the leading economies in Africa. This stems from the fact
that there are numerous economic activities such as mining and hospitality businesses. This
confirms the fact why the two countries are a popular tourist destination. Conversely, tourists
visiting South Africa and Nigeria have always been a prime target for criminals. This has
affected the rate of tourist arrival and the revenues earned by the government. In arrears that
witness high crime rate tourists are more likely to be attacked by criminals that the local
residents. African criminals have developed crime patterns that are conditional on the nature of
tourism, the season and the magnitude of the tourist visits. However, tourists who visit South
Africa and Nigeria for holiday purposes are less likely to be victims of crime if they remained
confined top their hotels. Rather interestingly, some tourists who visit South Africa become
offenders.
Introduction
Over the past decades Nigeria and South Africa has witnessed an influx in tourism arrivals. In
Nigeria, this is attributed to the presence of a wealth of natural resources including oil and tourist
attraction centers (Adora, 2010). In South Africa tourists are attracted to culture, heritage,
adventure and sport. According to Moyo & Ziramba (2013) Africans virtually harbor the
perception that tourists who visit their country have a lot of money to spend in their various trips
across the country. It bears noting that this perception is not far from the truth. Further, it is also
common ground that tourist carry personal belongings such as Jewelries, cameras, phone and
laptops (Ukwayi et al, 2012). These items are valuable to criminals. This has significantly
contributed to an increase in cases of robbery, murder, assault, burglary and more worse,
kidnapping. In South Africa, streets that are popular to tourists experience high crime rates
(Ferreira, 1999). Owing to the fact that Tourism plays a significant role in the development of
African economies, the proliferation of crime has hampered economic development. The paper
seeks to explore the profound correlation between tourism and crime in Nigeria and South
Africa.

References
Adora, C. U. (2010). Managing tourism in Nigeria: The security option. Management Science
and Engineering, 4(1), 14.
Ferreira, S. L. (1999). Crime: A threat to tourism in South Africa. Tourism Geographies, 1(3),
313-324.
Moyo, B., & Ziramba, E. (2013). The impact of crime on inbound tourism to South Africa: an
application of the bounds test. African security review, 22(1), 4-18.
Ukwayi, J. K., Ojong, F. E., Austin, E. B., & Emeka, J. O. (2012). Impact of crime on
sustainable tourism in Cross River State, Nigeria. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences,
2(11), 35-44.