Article Details

Safety and security are critical factors tourists consider when choosing a destination and selecting a hotel. The study investigates security and safety on patronage of hotels in Cross River State. A purposive sampling technique was used to select sample for the study. Data were obtained from customers of selected hotels in Calabar. The results of the analysis reveal that safety concerns have significant effect on patronage of hotels in Cross River State. It was also revealed that availability of CCTV and video surveillance and lifeguards at strategic locations significantly affect consumers’ patronage of hotels in Cross River State. On the other hand, safety variables such as availability of clearly marked emergency exits, and stairways, as well as availability of hotel clinics do not significantly affect consumers’ patronage of hotels in Cross River State. However, security variable was controversial in the study as it revealed that the security constructs examined which included knowledgeable staff, availability of walkie-talkies, use of electronic key cards and ID cards worn by employees did not significantly affect patronage of hotels in Cross River State. Meanwhile, for the model to show a statistical significance, it may be inferred that the constructs when merged together may significantly influence consumers’ patronage of hotels, rather than when they are examined individually. It was therefore recommended that hotel managers in the state should ensure that all times functional CCTVs and video surveillance are installed at strategic points of the hotel as well as lifeguards on standby at the pools. These shall improve the customers’ perception towards the hotel safety consciousness. In order to ensure security, the management of hotels should ensure that all the security attributes examined (, knowledgeable staff, ID cards worn by employees, use of electronic key cards and availability of walkie-talkies) are in place and are functional conditions. Finally, there should be routine checks on these attributes by the hotel security personnel.