commodification slum tourism

Tourist Valorisation of Urban Poverty: an Empirical Study on the Web

• Published: 30 June 2015
• Volume 26 , pages 373–390, ( 2015 )

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• Donatella Privitera 1  

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In recent times, slum tourism has become one of the fastest growing niche tourism segments in the world. The favela, slum, township, gecekondu appear into a tourist destination as part of the so-called reality tour phenomenon. In the tourist sector, the web plays an important role. In fact, consumer choices are aided by information picked up through the internet, which is an ideal place to communicate, promote and sell destinations and where potential travellers can undertake comparisons and choices more responsibly. This paper evaluates tour whole sales websites to analyse different types of strategic choices. The websites are evaluated using an extended Model of Internet Commerce Adoption (eMICA) methodological approach that draws on the evolutionary development of electronic commerce. Considering that internet includes a wide variety of technologies, which could bring potential benefits and reach new customers, it is important that website information is complete and attractive. The following study is of an exploratory nature. Through the results of the study, it is possible to gain knowledge of the slum e-tourism.

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Privitera, D. Tourist Valorisation of Urban Poverty: an Empirical Study on the Web. Urban Forum 26 , 373–390 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-015-9259-3

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Published : 30 June 2015

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Slum Tourism in the Americas: Commodifying Urban Poverty and Violence

• Project Description

Final Report Abstract

In this project we investigated slum tourism in the notorious neighbourhood of Mexico City, Tepito. We analysed the way Tepito is produced as a tourist destination and how this process affects the neighbourhood’s urban imaginary and social relations. Our main focus was on the commodification of urban poverty and violence through the tourist encounter. Understanding commodification not only as an economic but also a cultural and symbolic process we explored how the neighbourhood’s cultural and symbolic value is transformed through the tourist encounter. We placed our research between two main theoretical frames – urban development and place-making. We used tourism as a lens to explore shifts in urban development towards symbolic economy, analysing the ways lower-class residents negotiate these developments, using them for their own purposes. The place-making frame enabled us to study low-income neighbourhoods as heterogenous and interconnected places of various, negotiated meanings and identities; as well as everyday struggles and engagements with power structures. Our results include the following findings, we found that tourism in Tepito: (1) provides a platform to turn the neighbourhood’s stigma into a brand, re-signifying image, meanings and value of the neighbourhood, for the tourists and for the neighbourhood’s residents; (2) provides opportunities for identity formation and a site for people to ‘tell their own story’, which fosters a sense of pride and belonging to the neighbourhood; (3) triggers tensions in the neighbourhood as residents have different views on how their identity and “barrio culture” should be represented, sold and also by whom. The ambivalent role of tourism unmasks the on-going process of urban development; a process through which a range of actors with different economic, political and symbolic power collaborate or compete in order to transform the material and social environment according to their interests and needs. The negotiations around production of tourism highlight that urban development is not a process informed by the binary relation between the marginalized residents and the elite, but that tensions and alliances are made across various social groups and scales. The restructuring of cities under neoliberal projects is thus neither total nor totalizing but a process that is continuously negotiated by a range of actors; a process which reproduces unequal power structures but also provides space to challenge them. Moreover, as economy is always embedded in a political, social and cultural framework, urban development can be understood as a site of political struggle not only for economic resources but also for place-based meaning and identity.

Publications

• (2019) Barrio Bravo Transformed: Tourism, Cultural Politics, and Image Making in Mexico City. The Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology 24 (2) 313–330 Vodopivec, Barbara; Dürr, Eveline (See online at https://doi.org/10.1111/jlca.12410 )
• (2020) Brokers and tours: selling urban poverty and violence in Latin America and the Caribbean. Space and culture 23 (1) 4-14 Dürr, Eveline, Rivke Jaffe and Gareth Jones (See online at https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1206331219865684 )
• (2020) What does poverty feel like? Urban inequality and the politics of sensation. Urban Studies 57 (5) 1015-1031 Jaffe, Rivke, Eveline Dürr, Gareth Jones, Alessandro Angelini, Alana Osbourne and Barbara Vodopivec (See online at https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0042098018820177 )
• (2014): Destination slum! 2, 14th–16th May 2014, Potsdam, Germany, New Developments and Perspectives in Slum Tourism Research. Sociologus – Journal for Social Anthropology, 64 (1), 97-102 Osbourne, Alana and Barbara Vodopivec (See online at https://doi.org/10.3790/soc.64.1.97 )
• (2016): Garbage at Work: Ethics, Subjectivation and Resistance in Mexico. In: Robbie Duschinsky, Simone Schnall, Daniel Weiss (eds.) Purity and Danger Now: New Perspectives. London, New York: Routledge, 52-68 Dürr, Eveline and Gordon Winder
• (2016): Slum(scapes): Armut und mobile Erlebniswelten. In: Jens Kersten (Hg.): Inwastement. Bielefeld: transcript, S. 131-152. Dürr, Eveline (See online at https://doi.org/10.14361/9783839430507-006 )
• (2017): Made in Tepito: Urban Tourism and Inequality. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Vodopivec, Barbara
• (2018): Touring Trench Town: Commodifying Urban Poverty and Violence in Kingston, Jamaica. PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam Osbourne, Alana
• Slum. Eintrag in: Oberreuter, Heinrich (Hg.) (2021): Staatslexikon. Görres-Gesellschaft zur Pflege der Wissenschaft. 8., völlig neu bearbeitete Auflage. Freiburg, Basel, Wien: Herder, Bd. 5: Schule - Virtuelle Realität. Seite 137-139. ISBN 978-3-451-3751 Dürr, Eveline

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Slumtourism.net

Home of the slum tourism research network, why are we interested in slum tourism.

»As a reporter I was drawn to urban mobilizations for social justice. Practices of slum tourism are twofold; thinking about it helps thinking more broadly about inequalities and how to address them.«

[Philippe Rivière]

»Because i’m interested in pro-poor tourism and discussed my master project in this field and i hope to complete my PHD in the field of slum tourism as a part of pro-poor tourism.«

[Marwa Khater]

»I am interested in the nexus between poverty and tourism mainly from the perspective of members of the local population. Additionally, I am interested in studying the development of poverty tourism (i.e.slum tourism; volunteer tourism) within the discourse of responsible tourism to understand the wider socio-political trends that underpin it.«

[Elisa Burrai]

»I research urban tourism and tourism imagery, particularly in the US. Slumming used to be a phenomenon at the end of the 19th century. Ghettoized spaces remain, poverty, social inequality, racism remains, but tourism has a different function in urban “America” in the 20th and 21st century. I am interested to compare the “global South and North”, because the world is interdependent and responsibilities need to be shared, not blamed on others.«

[Lina Tegtmeyer]

»Egypt; my home land, holds a number on informal settlements. Being in such a like/network could be able to share ideas and gain more experience as well.«

[Abeer Elshater]

»Tourism in economically disadvantaged regions is performed by a wide range of formal and informal actors, both small and large, all of whom compete heavily as they seek to make a living. Trying to understand how they operate, network and maintain (informal) relations in such uncertain circumstances may be challenging but it is also highly intriguing and interesting. In addition, slum tourism highlights certain ethical aspects of tourism that may remain hidden at other more ‘aesthetically pleasing’ destinations. For example, it is at the same time criticised on an ethically basis and on the other hand heralded for its potential for responsible or inclusive tourism. Understanding how this form of tourism can be performed in a more ethical way can therefore help those involved in slum tourism, but also provide rich insights to the wider tourism literature.«

»The study of slum tourism provides insights into a number of contemporary issues, ranging from the ‘social question’ and the answers to it, to transformations in the ways activism, the voluntary sector and urban policy are conducted.«

[Fabian Frenzel]

»To explore the overrated principle of commodification process of slum tourism is a central of my interest. The romantization over poverty and poor living conditions of the inhabitant and the valorization among marginalied urban area is an urban oxymoron which contributes to the dynamic of the city.«

[Rizky Suci Ammalia Podlaszewska]

»Slum tourism, whether activities or practices, if well planned and initiated in a responsible manner, is an important development path and an example of a profitable and sustainable business, because it boosts the local economy at impoverished areas and raises tourists’ social awareness and understanding of this hidden world, it targets disadvantaged inhabitants by unlocking opportunities for economic improvement and participation in decision-making. Importantly, economic enhancement seems to happen when slum tourism activities provide opportunities for residents to sell goods and services through the growth of small enterprises in the slums, which encourages them to actively participate in economic activities and which eventually leads to increased personal income.«

[Moustafa Mekawy]

»The widespread opinion of slums being dirty, dangerous and unattractive places should be changed. Mostly because of the people living in slum areas are welcoming foreigners that are interested in their lifestyles and cultures. In fact, it is an art of living! However, the majority of slum dwellers are not considered as official residents and thus neglected by governments. Thus, open-minded tourists visiting such places in a responsible organized way can help to reduce stigma, raise the social status of people living in slums and consequently contribute to a life in dignity.«

[Maria Graf]

»My interest in slum tourism is led by the following questions: (1) How did slum tourism (in the Global South) evolve and how does it spread? (> History and globalisation of slumming) (2) How is the tourist gaze on slums generated; how do slums become tourist sites? Who is involved in the production of the “tourist slum”? (3) What implications does ‘slumming’ have for slum residents? (> poverty, identity and power) (4) What implications does ‘slumming’ have for urban development?«

[Malte Steinbrink]

»Slum tourism is an interesting subject to study as it reflects the complexity and interrelatedness of contemporary society and its commodification processes which take place practically everywhere and at every moment. It is a contested field with specific, very diverse agents, highly ethically loaded and controversely discussed and still a rather new form of tourism that requires further research.«

[Thomas Frisch]

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The Indonesian Slum Tourism: Selling the Other Side of Jakarta to the World Using Destination Marketing Activity in the Case of “Jakarta Hidden Tour”

Pramadi Agus 1 and Kusumawardhana Indra 2

1 An independent researcher 2 The permanent lecturer at Department of International Relations, Universitas Pertamina, Jakarta

Corresponding author: [email protected] .

This research is constructed based on the reality of slum tourism as a new phenomenon in the era of globalization. The locus is selected as it is related to Jakarta Hidden Tour case in Indonesia. The question posed is how to promote slum tourism in the Jakarta Hidden Tour to the international world and raison d'etre. To answer the problem formulation, the researcher uses eclectic analytical framework which are commodification theory by Karl Spracklen and destination marketing theory by Youcheng Wang and Abraham Pizam. By using qualitative method, departing from above-mentioned understanding, this paper claims that slum tourism in the case of Jakarta Hidden Tour as a form of valorization offered to the world. Whereby, the core argument is slum tourism phenomenon that arise in Indonesia is one of the dark side of Indonesia's economic development that generates inequality especially in big cities.

Key words: Slum tourism / Commodification / Jakarta Hidden Tour

© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2018

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Reality Tours and Travel: A Community Perception on Slum Tourism in Dharavi

2017, Reality Tours and Travel: A Community Perception on Slum Tourism in Dharavi

Slum tourism has become extremely popular in the 21 st century. It is mostly prominent in developing countries across the globe, however in Mumbai it is still a relatively new industry. With its escalating use, slum tourism has generated a heated and critical debate especially concerning ethics. However, scholarly research on slum tourism remains limited and fragmented, especially in Mumbai. With this, very often the community which is directly impacted by slum tourism rarely get to voice their opinions in the debate. Therefore, in collaboration with and specifically looking at Reality Tours and Travel and its affiliated NGO Reality Gives, this report will provide a valuable contribution and analysis into the perceptions of the Dharavi community using a qualitative empirical approach.

Related Papers

Perceptions of the Dharavi community regarding slum tourism and affiliated NGO operations

Nieck Slikker

""Although slum tourism has been around for more than 20 years, it is still considered a new trend. In Dharavi, Mumbai, this trend is younger and less developed compared to slum tourism in Brazil or South Africa. Critics regularly question its social responsibility. As it is a new trend, these debates are fought with information from a small collection of sources or from sources based on less homogeneous situations. Ironically, the smallest collection of sources is that which voices the thoughts of the host community within the slum. This means that one of the most important stakeholders has had very little opportunity to join in on this debate. This thesis aims to give more insight into the perceptions that community members have on the issues that critics propose. The results from this case study, gathered from 74 interviews conducted in the most visited areas, show that the issues which are presented in debates are not perceived similarly by the Dharavi community. The difference in perception reveals that norms and values cannot be generalized according to those of critics outside the host community. The community perceives slum tourists more as respectable guests and they generally do not think extensively about the effects of their presence. However, a responsible, social and humanitarian approach is proven to be greatly appreciated by the community. Hence, with the results of this research, readers can be helped in taking a more accurate stance in the slum tourism debate and perhaps influence the development of this trend. ""

Ko Koens , Ko Koens , Nieck Slikker

Slum tourism has been criticised for potentially exploiting the communities it visits. While the daily life of residents is the primary attraction of slum tourism, they do not receive any remuneration. Given the heated debate surrounding this topic, it is surprising that the perspective of residents remains largely unknown. This paper aims to address this lacuna, by providing insights into the perceptions that residents have on slum tourism in Dharavi slum, India. It is unique in that it explicitly addresses host perceptions towards slum tourism enterprises as well as charitable activities funded through slum tourism. Insights were gained through 74 semi-structured interviews, conducted in the most visited areas of the slum. Four different resident perspectives are recognised; apprehensive, positive, indifferent and sceptical. Over time, residents in Dharavi become less excited by the presence of tourists, but they do not develop a negative attitude to them. Although residents are not without criticism of tourism and there is a lack of knowledge on tourism’s contribution to community development projects, they do not view tourism as exploitative. The struggle for Dharavi will be to ensure tour operators will continue to operate in a way sensitive to the local community, as tourist numbers and competition increases.

Khevana Desai

Melissa Nisbett

Mumbai's Dharavi slum occupies a plot half the size of Central Park. It is home to one million people, with almost half of residents living in spaces under 10 m 2 , making it over six times as dense as daytime Manhattan. Using ethnographic fieldwork and online analysis, this article examines slum tourism and the perceptions and experiences of western visitors. Local tour operators emphasize the productivity of the slum, with its annual turnover of $665 million generated from its hutment industries. Its poor sanitation, lack of clean water, squalid conditions and overcrowding are ignored and replaced by a vision of resourcefulness, hard work and diligence. This presentation of the slum as a hive of industry is so successful that visitors overlook, or even deny, its obvious poverty. Dharavi is instead perceived as a manufacturing hub and retail experience; and in some cases even romanticized as a model of contentment and neighbourliness, with western visitors transformed by 'life-chan-ging', 'eye-opening' and 'mind-blowing' experiences. This article concludes that the potential of slum tours as a form of international development is limited, as they enable wealthy middle-class westerners to feel 'inspired', 'uplifted' and 'enriched', but with little understanding of the need for change.

julie zufferey

Sustainability

Jorge Figueiredo

Maximiliano E. Korstanje

Fabian Frenzel , Malte Steinbrink

The Role of Tour Guides in Opening the Eyes of Tourists During a Slum Experience

Slum tourism, which has always been a matter of debate although it has become one of the most rapidly-growing types of tourism after 2000s, has been analyzed in this study. While slum tourism is supported due to its potential to lead the middle and upper class to help poor population in the suburbs through touristic purchasing activities, it is also criticized by others since it is an exploitative, voyeuristic, and imperialist approach to human life. This study has been conducted to reveal the thoughts of people on " slum experience " , who experienced slum tourism activities in Delhi, India, a popular activity especially among Western tourists, and the role of tour guides in formation of those opinions. In line with the purpose of the study, the tourist comments on slum tourism on Trip Advisor have been reviewed and descriptive analysis has been carried out on these comments. Thus, the thoughts of people, who had " a real slum experience " in Delhi, where poverty became a personal/private show, and the role of tour guides in formation of those opinions have been revealed. In consequence of the analysis, it is observed that especially the regional tour guides had a significant role on formation of thoughts and although many tourists have concerns about visiting this region, tour guides are important in making them believe that 'they are doing something good' by visiting this region and participating in slum tourism.

What are the limits of the knowledge it is ethically viable to articulate about “slums,” in a political environment where slum demolitions are a weekly occurrence? By cross-reading Partha Chatterjee’s theoretical discussion of the conditions of subaltern (self)representation with studies of global slum tourism, the article attempts to answer this question by analyzing the case of the NGO, Salaam Baalak Trust. This NGO conducted slum tours for tourists from the global North in the interstitial spaces around New Delhi Railway Station until 2010, when the slum they used as an example of their work was suddenly demolished. To the NGO staff, this posed two mutually exclusive ethical demands: a) to represent slums so that the plight of their (sometimes displaced) inhabitants might be publicized and discussed and b) to hide slums from view so the state would have no incentive to remove them as a part of their struggle to gentrify the city. The article argues that the implications of this case speaks into the theoretical framework of slum tourism studies, as it illustrates how knowledge produced within this field comes to act in the world in sometimes unforeseen ways.

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