Tourism and logistics in an age of unprecedented crime: Perspectives from a border patrol security company

This paper aims to examine the positioning of tourism and logistics and the related impact of crime.

The study is exploratory in nature and draws extensively on related literature. Data were obtained through primary sources (semi-structured interviews, observation) and additionally draw on the researcher’s own professional experience.

The findings suggest that both tourism and logistics need a more rigorous security infrastructure and support to keep pace in the current global arena where the range and scale of crime is unprecedented.

The limitation of this study is that the focus is specifically on the Caribbean – though the situation in the Caribbean is no different from international trends.

Jamaican society has been impacted by different forms of crime (drugs, domestic and political) over the past three decades. While tourism has been the major source of foreign exchange for the island, little attention has been given to the impact of crime on tourism. Logistics, like tourism, has been premised as the next agenda for economic growth for the island. Similar to tourism, security has not been emphasized in the promotion of the logistics hub. Therefore, the role of security should be a priority agenda for the country as it works towards establishing a global logistic hub.

The social implication of this study is to sensitize both the government and local people on the importance of the tourism and logistics industry and the role that security will play in their sustainability. The proposed logistics hub and the special economic zones will probably double the employment opportunity provided by tourism. Finally, the paper will help inform government policy both at the national and local levels on attitudes to national and private security.

Little has been written on the role of security in tourism and logistics in the Caribbean. As a result, this paper is timely and makes a fresh contribution to what is known on the subject matter.