Safety concerns of international shoppers
in Las Vegas
Deborah C. Fowler, Mitzi K. Lauderdale, Ben K. Goh and Jingxue (Jessica) Yuan
Abstract
Purpose – This study seeks to assess international tourists’ perception of safety while shopping in the
USA, using Las Vegas as the study site. Over recent years, Las Vegas became an international
destination for visitors from the Asia-Pacific region to celebrate Chinese New Year. In February 2007, Las
Vegas hosted the NBA All-Star Game for the first time from February 16 to 18. The two major events
occurred over the same weekend. When two cultures shared a single site, however, the combination
presented an issue of safety concern.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using an intercept methodology over the
three-day period in a major shopping venue/casino from February 15 to 17, 2007.
Findings – The study finds that many of the tourists carried a large amount of cash on their person. As
the week progressed, Asian visitors were less likely to feel their person and belongings were safe in the
three major venues researched of restaurants, shopping centers, and amusement parks.
Originality/value – Few papers have addressed the safety concerns of international tourists in the USA,
specifically in Las Vegas. Findings of this study contribute to the safety and security management of
various tourist venues.
Keywords Safety and security, International visitors, Shopping malls, Shopping centres, Perception,
Las Vegas, United States of America
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The USA is the largest travel and tourism economy in the world, with an estimated demand of
more than US$1,747 billion for 2008, which in turn created almost 15 million jobs (World
Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), 2008). Despite the enormous economic impact of the
travel and tourism industry on the economy, the US was ranked 47th out of the 124 countries
surveyed in terms of ‘‘Prioritization of Travel and Tourism Strategies’’ (Blanke and Chiesa,
2007). The US government does not promote the US as a travel destination, and does even
less in assuring international tourists of their safety concerns. Unfortunately international
tourists’ perception of risk may determine their plans in regard to travel, shopping, and
sightseeing. Tourists need to have a perception of safety, this perception is often more
important than the reality. If a tourist’s perception of a venue is unsafe, the tourist will avoid
the venue altogether. In addition, if a crime does occur, the incident impacts tourist spending
and the desire to recommend a tourist site or return to the tourism site in the future (Kennedy
and Sakis, 1999).
Acts of violence occur every minute of every day against tourists all around the world (Pizam,
1999). Some acts are aimed directly at tourists. Other acts may not target tourists directly,
but the consequences are still devastating. For example, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in New
York and Washington, DC killed both local residents and tourists using airlines for
transportation and those visiting private and government buildings (Watters and Lawder,
2003). Tourists may easily become discouraged from traveling to the USA because of safety
PAGE 238
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 6 NO. 3 2012, pp. 238-249, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182 DOI 10.1108/17506181211246384
Deborah C. Fowler is
Associate Professor, Mitzi
K. Lauderdale is Assistant
Professor, and Ben K. Goh
and Jingxue (Jessica) Yuan
are both Associate
Professors, all in the
Department of Nutrition,
Hospitality and Retailing,
Texas Tech University,
Lubbock, Texas, USA.
Received April 2010
Revised August 2010
Accepted September 2010