An assessment of tourist security in the city of Malaga

Abstract

Security related to touristic activities is a topic that has not been developed deeply in the literature. Perhaps due to the lack of a several specific characteristics or its management as part of more general security initiatives, it rarely receives individual attention. Despite that, in countries and cities where tourism is a powerful industry, the protection of certain environments or people may lead to the implementation of very well defined policies. This opens a substantial debate that connects criminal policies with the protection of private interests, the excessive focus on traditional property crimes, the security image that the city or state intends to communicate and even a potential damage to certain local citizen, sometimes excluded, marginalized or targeted by these policies since they are not able not offer added value to the touristic strategy (disneylazation of cities?). To assess a first evaluation of the situation in the city of Malaga we have conducted a series of victimization surveys to two specific profiles: first, general tourists that visit the city center, where the city´s monumental, artistic and gastronomic offer is focused; and second, cruise tourist that arrive to the city port, who have a very routinized and short touristic experience. The city of Malaga has suffered? a series of deep changes… (datos económicos de málaga antes y ahora) We have complemented such surveys with in-depth interviews to police officers that work in the same touristic environments and to active offenders who commit crimes mostly over tourists. This descriptive research aims to gather information on the current situation in Malaga and compare it with a previous stage of the city, in which the tourism industry wasn´t able to affect that much on the city´s response to crime.