Journal of Tourism & Hospitality
Open Access
ISSN: 2167-0269
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2167-0269
+44 1300 500008
Department of Sociology, Virginia Tech,VA, USA
Dr. Ashley V. Reichelmann is a Professor of the Sociology department at Virginia Tech, VA, USA. Area of Expertisation: Tourism; Memorials; Residents; Perceptions; Criminal behavior; Theory. His research interests as a Professor reflect in her wide range of publications in various national and international journals.
Research Article
Threatened Halos of Perception: Residents' Accuracy of Crime Changes in a Developing Tourist Area
Author(s): Ashley V. Reichelmann*, James E. Hawdon and John Ryan
Background: Large scale memorial development has become a growing trend around the world. While numerous studies have
tracked the effects of such development on objective measures of community welfare, far less is known about the social effects
of memorial tourist attractions on communities where they are placed. This study explores one such impact: how do changes
in the social and physical landscape as a result of memorial tourist development affect residents’ perceptions of the crime rate
in their community?
Methods: Secondary crime data was coupled with a longitudinal residential survey (n=135), measuring actual and perceived
crime rates before and after the attraction’s opening.
Results: While race, income, and political party affiliation predicted pre-opening beliefs, post-opening percep.. View More»