Citation

George R. Crime Prev. Community Safety 2001; 3(3): 19-29.

Affiliation

School of Management, University of Cape Town

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group -- Palgrave-Macmillan)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Cape Town, a major tourism destination, is under the spotlight due to its susceptibility to crime committed against tourists. The 'Mother City' of South Africa, along with Durban and Johannesburg, is increasingly perceived to be an unsafe place to visit. Street crime, car hijacking, petty crime, muggings and acts of serious violence have continued to increase. Furthermore, there has been a spate of bombings -- 21 to be exact -- in and around Cape Town during the last two years. Between 1998 and 2000 these attacks have left three people dead and 105 injured, and have threatened the region's economic development and in particular its tourism industry. The most devastating of these incidences was a pipe bomb at the Planet Hollywood restaurant at the V and A Waterfront -- Cape Town's major tourist venue -- which killed two people and seriously injured many, including tourists. This paper examines the effects of this incident, along with the escalation of violent crime in the Cape Town region, on its hospitality sector, and discusses recent crime prevention measures.