TOURISM CONSTRAINTS OF UMLAZI TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS ...

international flights also contributed to the generally greater acceptability ofvisitingSouth Afiica as a tourist destination. However, some factors are hindering progresstowards reaching this goal. One of the disturbing factors is the internationalawareness ofcontinuing criminal activities in South Afiica, which has resulted in thecancellation ofbookings, causing visitor arrivals to remain disappointingly low,(Laws, 1995) despite the fact that South Afiica has many attractions to offer. Itmight be true that in many instances the probability of a tourist being killed orinjured is very low, but Wilkinson (1993) argues that the perceptions ofthe public,influenced by often sensationalised media coverage, are what count the most.Wilkinson (1993) also contends that the form of crime most damaging to tourism isthat which is explicitly aimed at tourist targets, succeeds in causing death or seriousinjury to even very small numbers oftourists and where at least some ofthe crimestake place at popular tourist centres or sites.Unfortunately, tourists have beenvictims ofcrime in South Afiica in the recent past. Deaths have resulted from thesecrimes. These crimes received negative publicity from the newspapers and evenon national and international television. The few crimes that are committed totourists in the Durban beachfront, for example, can create a bad impression to theresidents ofthe Durban and surrounding areas. This can create an impression thatifthey visit other places, they may become victims ofsuch crimes.The truth could be that the vast majority ofthreats to the safety ofthe tourists arenot susceptible to effective remedial or preventive measures by the government orby the travel and tourism industry itself. People know that they have a duty toprotect themselves and their property. They know that to reduce the high risks totheir own safety and to the safety oftheir property, they should take all possibleprecautions, such as avoiding unnecessary trips. As soon as people start taking28, .