Trends in Slum Tourism

Trends in Slum Tourism

Jacqueline M. Delic

School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

University of Guelph

ABSTRACT

Slum tourism is one of the fastest-growing niche tourism segments in the world. Often consisting of affluent Westerners, slum tours are becoming more prominent in the Global South. It has only been a growing trend in the past two decades, but with publicity from a variety of films and movies, slum tourism is becoming a popular topic for debate. Its controversial nature strikes up the ethical dilemma: does slum tourism have educational value or voyeuristic intents? Typically, organized tour operators offer half day guided walking tours to interested tourists wishing to seek how the other half lives. Because slum tourism is such a new phenomenon, there is relatively little research or tourist generated statistics and records on the subject; however, the topic has grabbed the attention of academics and the general public alike.

Keywords: slum tourism, favela tourism, poverty tourism

INTRODUCTION

Slum tourism is one of the fastest-growing niche tourism segments in the world and is no stranger to controversy. A slum, as defined by the United Nations, is “a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security” (Ma, 2010, 3). Slum tourism is the formation of organized tours in these areas. Because slum tourism is a new phenomenon, there is relatively little research on the subject. This paper will begin to discuss slum tourism and the regions where it is most popular, the historic development of the niche, the impacts it has had on the regions affected, and a look into the future evolution of the trend.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TREND

In a general sense, “slum tourism” falls under the umbrella of poverty tourism – where tourists travel to less developed areas to view people living in poverty. It is referred to as “favela tourism” in Brazil, “township tourism” in Africa, and is simply...