Urban tourism and the issues of security and safety: A case study of Kuala Lumpur international tourists

In the context of urban tourism, tourist security and safety is an important concern that may influence inflows of international tourists to many cities including Kuala Lumpur. The presence of tourist police in urban areas would provide a major relief to international tourists. Untoward incidents involving tourists as the victims would have negative impact on the tourism industry as a whole. Inevitably pockets of crime prone areas in the city would end up as “no-go” areas even though they are important tourism sites . Frequently, these are the older parts of the city featuring heritage buildings of different architectural eras which local authorities are very keen to promote. This study examined the perceptions of international tourists and their anxiety about the security and safety of urban tourism attractions in Kuala Lumpur city centre. Primary data were gathered from questionnaire surveys and interviews of 201 randomly sampled international tourists. The findings indicated the reality of some security and safety issues faced by the Kuala Lumpur international tourists. As a way forward the relevant authorities might need to review the city’s existing crime prevention programmes, to empower them, and to make them even more effective.