Pros and cons of slum tourism

basic requirements/Expanded Slum Tourism Case Slides.pdf
Slum Tourism Case Study

Slum Tourism: How would you like your

reality sir? -Half staged half raw please!

Dr Kostas Tomazos

“Tourism is one of the few ways that you or I are ever going to understand what poverty means”

Weiner (2008: 1)

The UN defines a slum as a group of individuals living in an urban area who lack at least one of the following: 1. Durable housing of a permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions. 2. Sufficient living space which means not more than three people sharing the same room. 3. Easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts at an affordable price. 4. Access to adequate sanitation in the form of a private or public toilet shared by a reasonable number of people. 5. Security of tenure that prevents forced evictions. (UN-HABITAT, 2007)

Definition…

✓ Slum tourism can be described as a form of poverty tourism where tourists visit poor communities in deprived areas (Dovey and King, 2012; Ma, 2010).

✓ Slum tours commonly include visits to workplaces and homes of residents, schools and community projects. Slum tourism comes in many forms all across the world and currently includes tours of favelas in Brazil, townships in South Africa, and slums in India, villas in Argentina and poor areas in many other countries in the Global South.

Introduction…

“Slum tourism is one of the fastest-growing niche tourism segments in the world, but it

is also one of the most controversial.” (Ma, 2010: 3)

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=Q3GWfPUS9SvUNM&tbnid=DrWi6tJ0qAnXIM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://thegipsygiraffe.com/category/travel/slum-tourism/&ei=ZtbpU-qTLcSe0QXiioHwAg&psig=AFQjCNH6734zshWrAdFNxGjynIbQshBbhA&ust=1407919023110759
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=Q3GWfPUS9SvUNM&tbnid=bhp1xdOtWUCQMM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://thegipsygiraffe.com/category/travel/slum-tourism/&ei=idbpU96GMobB0QW86oHQAw&psig=AFQjCNH6734zshWrAdFNxGjynIbQshBbhA&ust=1407919023110759
• Slum tourism has been defined as “tourism that involves visiting

impoverished areas” (Mekawy, 2012, p.2092).

• It can also be defined as “relatively wealthy tourists visiting the slum

where the very poor live” (Goodwin, 2014, p.91).

• This comes along with ethical and political ambiguities that are

difficult to address (Robinson, 2012, p.xv)

• Slikker and Koens (2015) report that there is a negative bias with

regards to slum tourism research.

• Literature also refers to slum tourism as ‘toxic tourism’, 'poverty

tourism' or 'poverty porn' (Diekmann and Hannam, 2012) all of which

have negative ethical connotations.

Defining Slum Tourism…

In the Literature…

✓ Slum tourism originates from the 1800s when the term “slumming” was used to describe wealthy people in society who visited poorer urban areas in their leisure time; the roots lie in London (Steinbrink, 2012; Dürr, 2012; Seaton, 2012).

✓ It was in 1884 when the term “slumming” was recognised by the Oxford English Dictionary (Loftus, 2009).

✓ During the 19th century journalists made their names by writing of their slum travels (Seaton, 2012). The “hobo” and “tramp” cultures in slumming offered an escape from normal life for the wealthy (Seaton, 2012).

✓ Slumming then developed in the USA where slum tours became very much commercialised – it became open to a wider range of people who where willing to consume this tourism product (Steinbrink, 2012; Seaton, 2012).

Short History…

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=CyBjZb1vXd-J9M&tbnid=VhDZVPW-xmW9nM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/2011/06/slumming-it-nineteenth-century-style-part-1-we-came-to-gawk.html&ei=XdnpU7mtIYXJ0QWHvIGYCw&psig=AFQjCNEETsZjqicl9Tj4jk29R3xKimbhcA&ust=1407920828130665
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=CyBjZb1vXd-J9M&tbnid=VhDZVPW-xmW9nM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/2011/06/slumming-it-nineteenth-century-style-part-1-we-came-to-gawk.html&ei=XdnpU7mtIYXJ0QWHvIGYCw&psig=AFQjCNEETsZjqicl9Tj4jk29R3xKimbhcA&ust=1407920828130665
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=LljnB2Eq9qZf0M&tbnid=HwrseONK_-nu0M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slum_tourism&ei=jNnpU5SlEce70QWr54H4DA&psig=AFQjCNEETsZjqicl9Tj4jk29R3xKimbhcA&ust=1407920828130665
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=LljnB2Eq9qZf0M&tbnid=HwrseONK_-nu0M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slum_tourism&ei=jNnpU5SlEce70QWr54H4DA&psig=AFQjCNEETsZjqicl9Tj4jk29R3xKimbhcA&ust=1407920828130665
▪ Tourist Guide books ▪ Guided slum tours ▪ New York, Chicago and

San Francisco

Wealthy tourists from London imported slumming eager to visit and compare the poorer areas in New York with ‘their’ slums at home

Not just about Poverty…

• On the one hand, slum tourism

developed in areas with social and

economic problems.

• However, historically in places like Little

Italy, Chinatown and other ghettos in

New York City, people were secluded

because they were minority immigrant

groups (Conforti, 1996; Seaton, 2012).

• Slumming tours mainly took place in the

urban areas where the new immigrant

groups had settled because of their rich

culture (Seaton, 2012).

Some authors see slum tourism as authentic or reality tourism (Freire-Medeiros, 2009; Frisch, 2012) where tourists encounter urban realism. On the other hand, some see it as cultural or ethnic tourism (Ramchander, 2007; Jaguaribe and Hetherington, 2004, cited in Rolfes, 2010: 422).

Slums Falling out of Fashion…

✓ Eventually these deprived areas were becoming a problem for economic development and governments began removing them from the city borders (Seaton, 2012).

✓ The justification for this was that tourists would not want to visit cities that were associated with poverty and unsanitary conditions (Freire-Medeiros, 2009).

✓ Existing literature on the expansion of slum tourism in the developing world centres on the evolution of the trend in a few distinct areas: South Africa, Brazil, India, Kenya and Mexico

✓ Steinbrink (2012) states that figures indicate slum tourism is already a highly professionalised business in South Africa and Brazil.

✓ Steinbrink et al (2012) discuss the development of slum tourism in these areas as well as minor forms of the trend developing in Argentina, Namibia, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica and Thailand.

From Slumming to Slum Tourism…

• Ghetto tourism MacCannell’s (1976); Durr (2012a and 2012b)

• Poverty tourism Selinger and Outterson (2009); Rolfes (2010)

• Social tourism Reisinger and Steiner (2006); Ryan (2001)

• Reality tourism Freire-Medeiros (2007, 2008 and 2009);

• Meschkank, (2011)

• Authentic tourism Frisch (2012); Reisinger and Steiner (2006)

• Cultural/ Ethic tourism Ramchander, (2007); Jaguaribe & Hetherington

• (2004)

• Pro-poor tourism (PPT) Ashley and Haysom (2001); Hall (2007)

• Township tourism Ramchander (2007); Rogerson (2004)

• Justice tourism Frenzel (2013)

Terminology…

the evolution of the terminology (Ausland, 2010)

✓ Tourism in South Africa’s townships has developed hugely since the end of the apartheid era.

✓ Government policy in South Africa now supports the stream of tourism into townships (Frenzel and Koens, 2012).

✓ In townships tourism started off as a “niche market” for people with specific political interests (Rolfes, 2010:428).

✓ Emergence of township tourism is said to be a phenomenon of the post apartheid period after South Africa’s move towards a democracy in 1994 (Rogerson, 2004; Stenbrink, 2012; Steinbrink et al, 2012).

South Africa…

• “The tour is a must for any South African or lover of history, as there are a lot of misperceptions around these events and the people involved. Being at the sites, hearing the stories and seeing the visuals created at the various sites makes you feel how real it was.

• Enjoying a traditional meal in a township had everyone buzzing with excitement. The friendly and knowledgeable guide made it interesting and well worth it.”

• “The day was a combination of education, information, entertainment and lots of fun.”

S Africa- Comments from data set..

✓ In Brazil, tourism has grown and evolved in the larger, main favelas and has become a key part of tourist exploration (Frisch, 2012).

✓ The increase in favela tours has been highlighted as an effect of the United Nations Earth Summit in 1992 (Frenzel, 2012). Freire-Medeiros (2009) relates this rising popularity of favela tours to the increasing demand for alternative forms of travelling referring to the desire for “reality tours” and the “extreme other” (p.581).

✓ Frisch (2012) explains that the favela has had to undertake many stages of progression for it to be transformed into a tourist attraction.

Brazil…

Although these areas of poverty can provide authentic and genuine experiences, some considerable transformation has to take place in order for them to become valued tourist areas. This can therefore allow questions to arise about the authenticity of certain slum tours.

Brazil- Comments from data set…

• " For those who really want to understand the city and the culture, a trip with Favela Tour is essential"

• "Favela Tour is a good way to get a better understanding of Brazil reality, breaking the prejudices and contributing to the local development. Instructive, educational and without taboos"

• "Really informative. Not voyeuristic, but one education visit to the heart of different universe, making possible a better understanding of Rio and its contradictions. A lot of information! Not to be missed!"

✓ Slum tours in India are very much a

new phenomenon and this is evident

as only a few individual tour operators

detail the content of the tours on the

internet (Rolfes, 2010).

✓ In Mumbai slum tours are provided

by one main agency Reality Tours

and Travel which has offered tours to

Dharavi since 2006 (Rolfes, 2010;

Ma, 2010).

✓ However, slum tourism in India is

noticeably expanding and this is said

to be fuelled mainly by media

attention from films such as Slumdog

Millionaire (Steinbrink, 2012).

India…

• “Awesome tour very insightful truly amazing, worth the trip to India”

• “If you ever get a chance in your life to visit Mumbai, India then I can totally recommend a tour of the Dhavari. 1 million people in 1.7 square kilometres. Truly an experience never to be forgotten”

• “Take this tour. Anyone who fears it might be exploiting locals or will be a voyeuristic experience will change their mind by the end. A real eye-opener and soul-expander”

• "It was a very interesting and mind-opening tour! Go ahead!!"

• "An excellent way to understand more about the chaotic and busy Delhi streets. Very educational!"

• "Really inspiring-I hope to come and help one day. Thank you for opening our eyes"

India-Comments from data set…

✓ The Kibera slum in Nairobi, is

thought to have become

involved in slum tours in a

similar pattern to Rio de Janeiro,

after the World Social Forum

meetings in 2007 (Frenzel,

2012; Steinbrink et al, 2012).

✓ Steinbrink et al (2012)

additionally observe that today

there are a range of tour

operators organising slum tours

in the Kibera slum.

Kenya…

• "Imformative, Impressive, personal"

• "It feels safe"

• "The guide loves his Kibera, he was passionate and very funny and nice. To all our questions he had an answer and he knew every place and gave us lots of info."

• "Very interesting to see. Unique experience! Friendly people! Solidarity and happiness. Impressive!"

• "Impressive to see how strong the people are"

• "strong community: many nice, inspiring and proud people"

• "I thought first it was very dangerous, but now I think everyone was friendly and helping each other”.

Kenya- Comments from data set…

✓ Fieldwork by Dürr (2012) investigates a form of slum tourism that takes place around a garbage dump in the town of Mazatlan, Mexico

✓ This tour is carried out by a non-profit based evangelical church which takes tourists on an “enlightening, meaningful and engaging experience” (Dürr, 2012: 341).

✓ This example of slum tourism aiming to educate people and support local communities is free of charge and emphasises variations in slum tours.

Mexico…

MacCannel states that a destination or place can only be recognised as a tourist setting when it comes under one of these characteristics:

1. The only reason for visiting is to see them

2. They are physically adjacent to serious social activity

3. They contain objects that have specialised use in routines

4. They are open to visitation from outsiders

How did the slum become a tourist setting?

Thinking about Tourism Resources…

• Not all resources are able to be used as

sustainable competitive advantage.

• To be a sustainable competitive advantage

(SCA) it must have four attributes:

– Be valuable.

– Be rare.

– Be imperfectly imitable.

– Have no strategically equivalent substitutes.

VRIO model…

Resource V R I O Competitive implications

Performance

Resource A No - - Competitive disadvantage

Below normal

Resource B Yes No - Competitive parity

Normal

Resource C Yes Yes No Temporary competitive advantage

Above normal

Resource D Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustained competitive advantage

Above normal

Stage Region Definition

Stage 1: Goffman’s Front Region The social space that the tourist want to overcome.

Stage 2: Touristic Front Region A front region that is decorated as if it was a back region.

Eg. A Seafood Restaurant with decorative nets and lobster

cadges.

Stage 3: Organised Front Region A front region that is completely organised in it totality to

appear like a back region.

Stage 4: Outsiders Back Region A back region that is only open to outsiders

Eg. A political expose in a magazine

Stage 5: Altered Back Region A back region that is cleaned and slightly altered if is going to be

on view.

Stage 6: Goffman’s Back Region The ideal. The place that motivates the search for truth and

authenticity.

Quest for Authenticity…

• Butcher (2003) notes that many tourists are rejecting mass packaged tourism in the search of authenticity (Dyson, 2012; MacCannell, 1999) consequently observing the desire to escape the superficiality of modern society.

• MacCannell (1999) further suggests tourists seek to reflect on their personal identities in comparison to others, a feeling commonly facilitated by slum tourism.

• The authenticity of the tours is enhanced by tangible sensory experiences such as sound and smell (Diekmann and Hannam, 2012), morally elevating the encounter (Butcher, 2003) whilst satisfying hedonistic goals such as self-actualization

• Wang (2000) and MacCannell (1999) however claimed that even staged authenticity would satisfy self-actualisation due to the noted impracticality of intimately engaging with slum residents.

• substantial controversy arises regarding classifications within the term ‘postmodern’ as varying literature focuses on ‘hyperreal’ experiences (Eco 1986; Featherstone 1991; Gottdiner 1995; Lash and Urry 1994) and pseudo-events whilst others emphasise ‘natural’ and ‘real’ encounters (Barrett 1989; MacCannell, 1999; Munt 1994; Poon 1989; Urry 1990).

Rejecting Mass Tourism…

• Selected and idealized aspects of poverty are being turned into a tourist

commodity for consumption (Chhabra and Chowdhury, 2012)

• A form of entertainment for people of a higher socio-economic class with

Karnani (2011) also reinforcing this, making reference to slum tourism as

“Poortainment”

• Tourists will never fully understand these realities-when only immersed in it

for a couple of hours- unsympathetic to the reality of slum life (Meschkank,

2011)

• Despite many slum tour operators supporting the communities in which they

depend, many consider the potential humiliation and degradation of slum

inhabitants as undeserved exploitation (Mayer, 2007).

But…

➢ Freire-Medeiros (2009: 582) defines two types of reality tourism: “dark” and “social”.

➢ Such experiences of social and dark tourism are popular with travellers as they seek more experiences that are “interactive” and “adventurous” (Freire- Medeiros, 2009:582).

➢ The product given to tourists may be different in each case; however the motivations for going on both types of reality tours are very similar.

Reality Tourism… Urry (1990) discuses curiosity and fascination as a driver of slum tourism introducing the concept of the touristic gaze whereby tourists seek to observe differences from the tour and their daily lives, reinforcing previously noted views of self-reflection and hedonistic satisfaction (Butcher, 2003; Diekmann and Hannam, 2012; MacCannell, 1999)

✓ Frenzel (2012) observes that certain events throughout the world have prompted slum tourism in certain areas.

✓ Regarding South Africa, the literature suggests that township tours began because of apartheid and the political revolution that took place against a racist government (Rogerson, 2004; Rolfes, 2010; Stenbrink, 2012; Steinbrink et al, 2012).

✓ This differs from the cases of Brazil and Kenya where it is proposed that events drawing attention to global issues generated the practice of slum tourism.

✓ Frenzel (2012) suggests that the Rio Summit in 1992 played a significant role in generating favela tours.

✓ Similarly, it is discussed that the World Social Forum in 2007 initiated a rise in slum tourism in Nairobi (Frenzel and Koens, 2012).

Societal Changes and Events…

✓ The media today have created interest amidst audiences who want to witness these locations in real life rather than on screen

✓ Recently certain films have gained international attention illustrating slum life: Slumdog Millionare, City of God and District 9. Slum tourism has increased in demand as a tourist product in these areas because of such films (Freire-Medeiros, 2009; Ma 2010; Rolfes, 2010; Dyson, 2012).

✓ Subsequently, a link can be made with slum tourism to film tourism research in Mumbai, particularly due to the release of Slumdog Millionaire (Frenzel and Koens, 2012).

✓ In addition, documentaries shown in the United States have given viewers desirable images of favelas (Freire-Medeiros, 2009).

Films and Popular Media…

Hannam and Knox (2010) stress that tourists are attracted to a destination because they are strange and out of the ordinary and such images are broadly publicized in the mass media

Media Platform ViewerSubject of Interest

Deaf-Blind Children Television Advertisement Television Viewer

Slumdog Millionarire

Movie Industry

(Example: Cinema) Movie Viewer

The Influence of Media

Opportunity for ExploitationAugmentation of Authenticity

✓ Globalisation has allowed new opportunities for developments in tourism (Reisinger, 2009).

✓ New consumers are showing behaviour patterns away from mass-market package holidays and as a result of improvements in communication, consumers have been disclosed to different cultures, widening their ideas and viewpoints (Reisinger, 2009).

✓ Cejas and De Mexico (2006) note that poor and deprived environments in the third world have become a commodity for tourists in developing countries because of globalisation.

✓ Additionally, Urry (1990) recognises that globalisation is facilitating the creation of new forms of tourism.

Globalization…

• Iqani (2016, p58) “To middle class tourists slums represent otherness in

terms of filthiness, vandalism and deprivation, as opposite to normality,

order and stability”

• Many slum tourists utilise the encounter to elicit appreciation for their own

privilege and good fortune (Meschkank, 2011).

• Selinger and Outterson (2010) schadenfreude– this sense of pleasure

achieved by witnessing the misfortunes of others raises questions

concerning the morality of slum tourism.

• Most of those who engage in slum tourism are Westerners (Frisch, 2012)

who are desensitised to the sites of poverty far removed from their everyday

lives.

• Many tourists venture into slum tourism under the impression they are

contributing towards ‘social tourism’ referring to the “aim to include groups in

tourism that would otherwise be excluded from it,” (Minnaert, 2012, pp.611).

• Some tourists have altruistic motives wishing to “make a difference”

(Monroe and Bishop, 2016) as is recognised by slum tour operators who

promote and incorporate philanthropic elements into their offerings.

Motivation…

Why Do People Travel to Slums?

Connection

(e.g. emotional)

ExperientialEducational

Unique ExperienceObservation Learning

Personal Affirmation Spread the Word /

Make a difference

Motivation

Exploitation

Authenticity

Slum tourism can open windows to new ways of seeing and thinking.

Slum tourism seems certain to open “shock, horror, delight and political

activism…” to “…Western eyes” (Dovey and King, 2012:292).

Some tour guides say that too many companies operate “safari style”

tours with busloads of tourists taking photos and gazing at the poverty

(Ramchander, 2007)

Can tourists make any difference at all through slum tourism?

Food for Thought…

“…these tours cross the boundary of conventional tourism; they bring the contrasts between the First and Third worlds… into sharp relief”

(Dyson, 2012:271

• Slum tourism can bring economic benefits to the locals (Nisbett, 2017, Monroe and Bishop, 2016, Robinson, 2012).

• Slum tourism can be a catalyst for economic development and social mobility (Robinson, 2012).

• One of the opportunities that arises is (direct and indirect) employment: demand for shops, restaurants and even local tour guides, are consequences of slum tourism (Monroe and Bishop, 2016).

• The sale of locally produced goods to tourists can provide further income for the slum community and encourage entrepreneurship (Monroe and Bishop, 2016).

• Small-scale basis, affecting individuals rather than the whole community (Koens and Tomas, 2015, Freire-Medeiros, 2010, Nisbett, 2017)

Economic Benefits…

• Many tour operators are run by non-locals who keep a majority of the profits

(Frenzel,Koens and Steinbrink, 2012, Monroe and Bishop, 2016).

• It is hard to check if the money is really going back into the slums and if

those affected by the tours also receive the benefits.

• Often there is a pre-existing hierarchy in the slum and the most

marginalised receive few benefits (Freire-Medeiros, 2010)

• Some tours have given money and further power to gangs and drug lords in

the area (Monroe and Bishop, 2016)

• ‘Aid trap’- slum residents come to associate tourists with money and

become reliant upon the donations of visitors (Watson, 2013; Mekasha and

Tarp, 2012).

Benefits Controversy…

Evidence of Good Practice…

Good practice Example

Profit distribution In order to support Dharavi, RTT give 80%, about 30% of their revenue to local development projects (Reality Tours and Travel, 2016).

Meaningful Donations • Within the last 8 years RTT has donated the equivalent of 26,000 GBP to Reality Gives, which has funded the education and extracurricular activities for over 6000 residents (Reality Tours and Travel, 2016).

• RTT invites tourists to bring supplies with then which can be donated or used in the Reality Gives community centre (Reality Tours and Travel, 2017e).

Employment Policy RTT and Reality Gives employ mostly people from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom were born In Dharavi (Slikker and Koens, 2015)

No photograph policy Offer own photographs for sale

Over crowding Tours are limited to a maximum of six people in order to be less intrusive and overwhelming for the locals (Reality Tours and Travel, 2017a).

Avoiding Offense There is a dress code so that no offense is caused (Reality Tours and Travel, 2017a).

❖ Ambiguity surrounding types of tours and the diversity in experiences offered.

❖ Different causes and drivers of slum tourism in different areas across the globe.

❖ Slum tourist motivations reflecting a new type of tourist preference and new niche form of tourism.

❖ The opportunities and risks that slum tourism may entail

Some Ideas…

• Tourist Eco-bubble→ Sanitizes tours→ Leakages

• Blueprinting→ Standardization → Patronage (Power)

• Exclusivity→ Personalization→ Segmentation

• Staging→ Loss of ‘authenticity’→ Perceptual Reality

Practical Realities of Slum-Tours… Bubble Burst…

WHAT’S FOR SALE?

Filtered Slum Simulation

Partially Simulated Slum Encounter

Semi-Simulated Slum Ecounter

Real Slum Encounter

(Niche)

How would you like your reality sir? -Half

staged half raw please …

Visits to local schools, business & community centers. A highly positive

presentation of slum life.

Visits to local community locations and residents'

homes to gain insight into everyday life.

Visits to all previous locations involving greater interaction

with residents, hearing genuine accounts of slum life.

Visits all areas of slum including sanitation units,

residences and workplaces to gain true insight of slum life.

Company No Camera

policy

Controlled

group

sizes

Employ locals Profits go back into

community

Local economy is

supported

Fosters

open

mindednes

s

India

A Yes Yes, 6

people

max

Yes Yes, 80% of profits Yes, by community projects Yes

B N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Yes

C N/A Yes, 10-15

people

max

Yes Yes, 100% non profit Yes, community schools

and children’s shelter

Yes

Kenya

D Controlled

photo

taking

Yes, 6

people

max

Yes Yes, 100% non profit Yes, community based

projects

Yes`

E N/A N/A Yes Yes, donations are made Yes through PPT Yes

South

Africa

F N/A No No, qualified guides N/A Claim to empower and

educate members of local

communities

Yes

G N/A Yes, 5

people

max

No, qualified guides N/A N/A Yes

H N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes, community projects Yes

Brazil

J N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes

K Camera is

encourage

d

N/A Yes N/A N/A Somewhat

Namibia

L N/A Yes, 12

people

max

Yes N/A N/A Yes

Argentina

M N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A No

Indonesia

N Yes Yes, 4

people

Yes Yes, non profit Yes, education, medical and

food support,

Yes

Overall..

Tour Highlights:

• Three Hours (950 pesos)

• Local guided tour of BASECO

• The fishing industry in the slums and the problems it faces from pollution

• The charcoal production which occupies 20% of those working in the slum

• A walk through the homes of some of the inhabitants

• A tour of the polluted beach

• Experience of public transport in order to get to and from the destination.

Example Smokey Tours Manila

• Website is available solely in English

• Multiple pictures of the slum in which residents are seen to be

smiling happily at the camera/ going about their business

• video featuring “inspirational music” which shows some of the

poverty but quickly contrasts with scenes of guides and tourists

bringing joy to the residents, interspersed with captions claiming, “a

new experience” and offering opportunities to “understand the

community”

• Assurances for their noble intentions- They state multiple times that

all the profits from their slum tours go to a local NGO which assists

with disaster relief and medical aid within the slum

• Diversification offering a number of other tours, including a bicycle

ride around the city and a tour of a popular market.

From their Website…

• ‘’Excellent tours, I saw the real Manila by chosing for Smokey Tours’’

• ‘’A great alternative way to see the real Manila’’

• ‘’For people who want to see the real world’’.

But…

• “Lack of compassion and understanding demonstrated by tour guides who

cannot truly relate to the slum dwellers lives”

• “Tour guide could not substantiate the website’s claims of reinvestment into

the community”

• “Attempted to extort money from the group via an overpriced jeepney ride”.

From Trip Advisor…

There are 400 reviews about Smokey Tours on TripAdvisor, 85% of them are ‘Excellent’ (5 stars). 136 Slum Tour; 63 Market Tour; 27

• “I'm ashamed to say that seeing poverty fascinates me. I'm not used to it, we simply don't have that back home...It's exciting to see the slums, but on the other hand I felt guilty for joining such a tour. I don't like human zoos. But this time it was different. This was not a tour neither a tourist attraction. This was an incredible experience that opened my eyes and changed my whole perspective”

• “We participated in the Slum Tour and were first sceptical as we did not want to be voyeurs on other peoples touch lives. On the other side we were curious. The tour was carried out in a sociable and respectful manner. It was highly interesting to see this "other" side of the Philippines and we got a lot of information. Nympha (guide) explained very well the situation in the slums, what

people have for a living and how they make a living”

Interesting Quotes…

Agency and Relationships…

Slum Tour Operator

CommunityTourists

Slum tour operators market authentic experiences and also play on the raising of awareness

that tourism can bring

Slum tour organize tours were people normally live

Locals take advantage of the tours by setting ‘tourist traps’

along the tour routes

Tourists gain access to the ‘reality’ of the locals through the tour

The locals adapt their behaviour to cater for tourists Also take opportunity to reap economic benefits for themselves

Key theme Criteria

Ambiguity • Type of tours offered

• Diversity in experiences offered

• Differences in tours among different countries/locations

Slum tourist motivations • Language used to describe offerings

• Tour offerings meeting motivations

A new type of tourist/ tourism • Offerings that are alternative to mass tourism

• Experiences meeting the needs of the new tourist

Opportunities • Sustainability efforts, or lack of

• Local economic development initiatives, or lack of

Risks • Ethical dilemmas

• Evidence of voyeurism/ bad tourism practice

Analysis…

Theme Issue

Reality See the real India, Walk into the street life of Delhi, Experience a part of Kenya unseen by most tourists, Reveal the true

essence of the country, Show tourists the city through the eyes of the locals, Get a glimpse of this gritty side of the

country, Real Indonesian culture, Experience and discover the real Jakarta, See for yourself how the people of South

Africa live

Real Time You’ll witness children playing, You’ll witness the heart of small scale industry, You will see their homes, their work

places, Visitors can see children in their classes and in activities, Experience a day in the life of locals, Interact with locals

as they go about their daily routine

Optimism Many rags-to-riches stories, You will see their spirit, A city of hope, A new understanding about aspects of the country’s

culture, Experience the lively streets, Experience vibrant soul of the township, Feel the spirit of togetherness, sharing,

giving and unity among the people of townships, There is a strong community spirit

Chaos You’ll witness a riot of activity, from small industries to children playing, An area bustling with activity, See residents

make the most of what they have

Local/community life Tourists will feel the sense of community and spirit that exists, Friendliest slum in the world, Hear traditional music,

Purchase hand made arts and crafts

From Websites…

Wanderlust/escapism Experience a place unseen by most tourists, New understanding of a different culture, See different aspects of another society,

Historical and social education about the slum

Off the beaten track/look behind the

scenes

Discovering places that are too hard usually to discover as a tourist, Must stay in the car in the red light area, See people in their

homes and workplaces, A journey through the back streets of the city, The dangers make it hard to see what really goes on in these

areas of poverty

Unique experience Add a dash of colour to your stay, Rags-to-riches stories, Unique way of providing an insight into lives of street children, Aim to

provide a unique and memorable experience of the country, Experience the area in a new and exciting way, Tour offers intimacy

that would otherwise not be available to tourists, Offer an alternative means of tourism, A once in a lifetime travel adventure, Take

a journey into a world of colour, contrast, unique cultural flavour and a new understanding of South Africa, It’s a must do for every

visitor to Cape Town to experience a day in the life of locals

Exclusivity Group sizes of maximum 5 or 6 people, Groups are kept to a small number to ensure a personal visit, Private tours available to be

individually designed for you to do and see as much or as little as you please, Aim to offer a more personal touristic experience,

Private tour hidden from mass media, This form of tourism is a new idea in the world

Aid in poverty alleviation/improving lives An opportunity for street children to improve their communication skills, Donate money and clothes at the end of the tour, Know

that you can make a difference, Contemplate adopting or fostering a child

Profit Maximization

Social Work

Not only in the Third World… • Unseen Tours (London)

• Unseen Tours operate 45 minute tours within five slum areas in

London: Camden, Covent Garden, London Bridge, Shoreditch and

Brick Lane

• Advertised as a “walking tour of London”

• UT is the only homelessness and slum tour operator of its kind.

• It offers the guides 60% of earnings generated by tours and

reinvests the remaining 40% to cover costs

Athens Crisis Holidays…

▪ There is no single reason attributed to the emergence of

slum tourism.

▪ The causes of slum tourism in several instances are

specific to certain destinations

- post-apartheid political support was a cause unique to

South Africa (Steinbrink, 2012)

- Events regarding global issues prompted the emergence

of slum tourism in specifically Brazil and Kenya (Freire-

Medeiros, 2009; Frenzel & Koens, 2012).

Lesson 1 No single particular catalyst…

• The driving forces for the growth of slum tourism in different destinations are somewhat transposable.

• The media and dissatisfaction with mass tourism experiences are predominant factors triggering tourists desire to participate in slum tourism (Meschkank, 2011).

✓ These factors therefore universally contribute to the incessant growth of slum tourism in townships, favelas and slums across the globe.

Lesson 2 Driving Forces Transposable

• Tourists are motivated to participate in slum

tourism as they believe participation will provide

a real and authentic travel experience with

educational benefits (Meschkank, 2011; Durr &

Jaffe, 2012; Burgold & Rolfes, 2013).

• Slum tours offer a ‘backstage’ travel experience

more educational, meaningful and

transformative than the generic ‘frontstage’

tourism experience (Durr & Jaffe, 2012).

Lesson 3 The Quest for Meaning…

• Slum tourism can be seen to either exploit poverty or provide an opportunity for poverty alleviation (Burgold & Rolfes, 2013).

• Whether tours should exist or not should not be the focus of the on-going debate;

• What is of central importance is how slum tours are responsibly conducted (Mekawy, 2012).

Aid trap’- slum residents come to associate tourists with money and become reliant upon the donations of visitors (Watson, 2013; Mekasha and Tarp, 2012).

Lesson 4 From Idealism to Instrumentalism: Moving from

‘why’ to ‘how’

• They respond to tourists’ demand for real and authentic travel experiences (Meschkank, 2011)

• Working to transform negative perceptions of slums (Rolfes, 2010; Dovey & King 2012; Frisch, 2012).

• Ambiguity exists regarding tour operator’s representation of reality and authenticity (McCannell, 1999).

-The accurate representation of reality and authenticity is not necessarily important as multiple realities exist (Dyson, 2012)

-One’s perception of reality and authenticity is subjective to the tourist gaze (Urry, 1990).

Lesson 5 Tour Operators are Key

“If men define situations as real, they are

real in their consequence”

Thomas and Thomas, 1928

List of References….

• Angeles, M. (2013). Beyond the Mountain of Trash: The People Of Smokey Mountain Continue Their Struggle, Peace Women Partners, [online] Available: http://demilitarize.org/wp- content/uploads/2013/04/Beyond-the-mountain-of-trash.pdf Last Accessed 13th December 2017

•

• Armstrong, G. and Kotler, P. (2003). Marketing: An Introduction, New Jersey: Prentice Hall

•

• Butler, R. (1990). Alternative Tourism: Pious Hope or Trojan Horse?, Journal of Travel Research, Vol.28, No.3, p40-45

•

• Dyson, P. (2012). Slum Tourism: Representing and interpreting Reality in Dharavi, Mumbai, Vol.14, No.2, p254-274

•

• Cohen, E. and Cohen, S. (2012). Current Sociological Theories and Issues in Tourism, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol.39, No.4, p2177-2202

•

• Frenzel, F., Koens, K. and Steinbrink, M. (2012). Slum Tourism: Poverty Power and Ethics London: Routledge

•

• Iqani, M. (2016). Slum Tourism and the Consumption of Poverty in TripAdvisor Reviews: The Case of Langa, Dharavi and Santa Marta, London: Palgrave Macmillan

• MacCamnell, D. (2013). The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class, Oakland: University of California Press

•

• Melik, J. (2012). Slum Tourism: Patronising or Social Enlightenment? BBC News, [online] Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19546792 Last Accessed 13th December 2017

•

• Merrett, F. (2006). Reflections on the Hawthorne Effect, Educational Psychology, Vol.26, No.1, p143-146

•

• Meschkank, J. (2011). Investigations into Slum Tourism in Mumbai: Poverty Tourism and the Tensions Between Different Constructions of Reality, Geojournal, Vol.76, p47-62

•

• Monroe, E. and Bishop, P. (2016). Slum Tourism: Helping to Fight Poverty… or Voyeuristic Exploitation?, Tourism Concern Research Briefing, [online] Available: https://www.tourismconcern.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Slum-Tourism-Report-print-web.pdf Last Accessed 13th December 2017

•

• Koffka, K. (1922). Perception: An Introduction to the Gestalt-theorie, Psychological Bulletin, Vol.19, No.1, p531-585

•

• Kibera Tours. (2017). [online] Available: https://kiberatours.com Last Accessed 13th December 2017

•

• Reality Tours and Travel. (2017). [online] Available: http://realitytoursandtravel.com/slum-tour.php Last Accessed 13th December 2017

•

• Selinger, E. and Outterson, K. (2010). The Ethics of Poverty Tourism, Environmental Philosophy, Vol.7, No.2, p93-114

•

• Smokey Tours. (2017). [online] Available: http://www.smokeytours.com Last Accessed 13th December 2017

•

• Steinbrink, M. (2013). Festifavelisation: Mega-events, Slums and Strategic City Staging – the Example of Rio de Janeiro, Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin, Vol.144, No.2, p129-145

•

• TripAdvisor. (2017). Smokey Tours, Reviews, [online] Available: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g298573-d5537044-Reviews-Smokey_Tours- Manila_Metro_Manila_Luzon.html Last Accessed 13 December 2017

•

• Weller, C. (2016). Manila is the Most Crowded City in the World, Business Insider, [online] Available: http://uk.businessinsider.com/manila-worlds-most-crowded-city-2016- 8?r=US&IR=T Last Accessed 13th December 2017

http://demilitarize.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Beyond-the-mountain-of-trash.pdf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19546792
https://www.tourismconcern.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Slum-Tourism-Report-print-web.pdf
https://kiberatours.com/
http://realitytoursandtravel.com/slum-tour.php
http://www.smokeytours.com/
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g298573-d5537044-Reviews-Smokey_Tours-Manila_Metro_Manila_Luzon.html
http://uk.businessinsider.com/manila-worlds-most-crowded-city-2016-8?r=US&IR=T
• Burgold, J. and Rolfes, M. (2013) 'Of voyeuristic safari tours and responsible tourism with educational value: Observing moral communication in slum

and township tourism in Cape Town and Mumbai'. DIE ERDE: Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin, 144 (2), pp. 161-174.

• Diekmann, A. and Hannam, K. (2012) 'Touristic mobilities in India’s slum spaces'. Annals of Tourism Research, 39 (3), pp. 1315-1336.

• Dovey, K. and King, R. (2012) 'Informal Urbanism and the Taste for Slums'. Tourism Geographies, 14 (2), pp. 275-293.

• Freire-Medeiros, B. (2010) 'Favela Tourism: Listening to Local Voices'. In: Frenzel, F., Koens, K. and Steinbrink, M. (eds.) Slum Tourism! Bristol:

Routledge, pp.

• Frenzel, F., Koens, K. and Steinbrink, M. (2012) Slum Tourism: Poverty, Power and Ethics. Oxford: Routledge.

• Goodwin, H. (2014) 'Book Review of 'Slum tourism: poverty, power and ethics''. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 6 (1), pp.

91-92.

• Jones, G.A. and Sanyal, R. (2015) 'Spectacle and Suffering: The Mumbai slum as a worlded space'. Geoforum, 65 431-439.

• Koens, K. and Tomas, R. (2015) 'Is small beautiful? Understanding the contribution of small businesses in township tourism to economic development'.

Development southern Africa., 32 (3), pp. 320-332.

• Mekawy, M.A. (2012) 'Responsible slum tourism: Egyptian experience'. Annals of Tourism Research, 39 (4), pp. 2092-2113.

• Monroe, E. and Bishop, P. (2016) 'Slum tourism: helping to fight poverty… or voyeuristic exploitation?'. pp. 1-10. doi.

• Nisbett, M. (2017) 'Empowering the empowered? Slum tourism and the depoliticization of poverty'. Geoforum, 85 37-45.

• Privitera, D. (2015) 'Tourist Valorisation of Urban Poverty: an Empirical Study on the Web'. Urban Forum, 26 (4), pp. 373-390.

• Reality Gives (2017) About Us. Available at: http://www.realitygives.org/about.php (Accessed: 3rd December 2017).

• Reality Tours and Travel (2016) 'Reality Tours and Travel Profits and Expenses'. In: http://realitytoursandtravel.com/images/money-RTT-RGi.pdf (ed.).

• Reality Tours and Travel (2017a) Best Practices. Available at: http://realitytoursandtravel.com/why-reality.php (Accessed: 8th December 2017).

• Reality Tours and Travel (2017b) Dharavi Tour. Available at: http://realitytoursandtravel.com/dharavi-tour.php (Accessed: 4th December).

• Reality Tours and Travel (2017c) Mission and Values. Available at: http://realitytoursandtravel.com/why-reality.php (Accessed: 10th December 2017).

• Reality Tours and Travel (2017d) Mumbai City Tours. Available at: http://realitytoursandtravel.com/index.php#tours (Accessed: 8 December).

• Reality Tours and Travel (2017e) Pack for a purpose. Available at: https://www.packforapurpose.org/destinations/south-asia/india/reality-tours-travel/

(Accessed: 2nd December 2017).