Responsible tourism as a strategic marketing tool for improving the negative image of South Africa

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of a destination positioning itself as a responsible tourist destination to improve its image.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature pertaining to responsible tourism management, crime risk and destination image.

Findings

This paper observes that responsible tourism policy can help improve the image of destination South Africa.

Research limitations/implications

This paper provides recommendations for destinations impacted by a negative global perception or being seen as a risky area to travel to, in the context of crime.

Originality/value

This paper examines the role of responsible tourism management in countering the negative image of crime risk in South Africa. In general, there is a dearth of research on this association.

Citation

George, R. (2017), "Responsible tourism as a strategic marketing tool for improving the negative image of South Africa", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 9 No. 5, pp. 543-554. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-07-2017-0031