Tourist harassment - A marketing perspective

Abstract

Consumer services research contains few empirical studies of harassment involving tourists. Previous studies are largely in general typological terms. Relatively little is known about the effects of harassment on tourist behavior and on the host economy. The findings of this case study from Marmaris, Turkey suggest that a fundamental driver of harassment is the ambition of local businesses for greater benefits. It mostly took place on the street and the beach by vendors and the least occurred at hotel properties. A minority of respondents report forms such as sexual harassment, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and peddling of drugs.