Savage tourism and its implication in theoretical criminology: a shift towards social disorganization

Routine activities theory has been the most widely used framework to analyse the relationship between tourism and crime. But beyond crime opportunity, other ecological and structural factors may be present in this relationship. This article analyses whether high levels of tourist intensity are related to higher levels of urban crime in Barcelona (Spain) using the variables of social disorganization theory, that is, concentration of disadvantages, population turnover and ethnic-cultural heterogeneity. Under the hypothesis that the touristification of Barcelona neighbourhoods intensifies population turnover and enhances economical and ethnic-cultural heterogeneity in the area, it is expected that higher levels of tourism are related to higher rates of property and personal crime. To test this hypothesis and the mediating role of ecological variables, negative binomial fit models and simple mediation regression models are used. Findings suggest that higher levels of tourism are related to a higher volume of property and violent crimes in neighbourhoods and that this relationship is mediated by residential instability and national heterogeneity. However, mediation models suggest a negative relationship between tourism and crime when concentrated disadvantages are the mediator factor. The need to rethink the role of the socioeconomic variable in the relationship between crime and touristification is discussed.