Is it time to rethink “slum tourism”? Researchers at the University of Bath believe the answer is a resounding yes. They claim that foreign visitors are glossing over the hardships of those living in poor areas with well-meaning attempts to portray their inhabitants in a positive ligh

Doward, Jamie

English

E-space: Manchester Metropolitan University's Research Repository

Doward, Jamie (2020)Slumming it? Township tour reviews ‘gloss overpoverty’. The Guardian. ISSN 2247-8531Downloaded from: http://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/626381/Publisher: The GuardianPlease cite the published versionhttps://e-space.mmu.ac.uk25/08/2020 Slumming it? Township tour reviews 'gloss over poverty' | Society | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/16/slumming-it-township-tour-reviews-gloss-over-poverty 1/5 Slumming it? Township tour reviews 'gloss over poverty'Jamie DowardWealthy visitors to South African ‘slums’ are understating hardships faced by residentsin reviews on TripadvisorSun 16 Aug 2020 07.00 BSTIs it time to rethink “slum tourism”? Researchers at the University of Bath believe the answer isa resounding yes. They claim that foreign visitors are glossing over the hardships of thoseliving in poor areas with well-meaning attempts to portray their inhabitants in a positive light.The researchers analysed more than 400 Tripadvisor reviews for two townships outside CapeTown in South Africa regularly referred to as “slums”. They found that visitors to Langa andImizamo Yethu underplayed the daily challenges facing people living there.In recounting their experiences on Tripadvisor, the tourists regularly described the townshipsas productive, vibrant cultural spaces, rich in non-material assets, inhabited by happy andhard-working people.Typical responses included: “We learned so much, and it was wonderful to be in thecommunity, to experience the friendship, the solidarity – to see a new future being built”;“The level of poverty that these people live in is unbelievable. But everyone here has hope andaspirations of getting a house and work. Truly amazing people”; “There are hardworkingpeople in the township who are making life better for themselves.”25/08/2020 Slumming it? Township tour reviews 'gloss over poverty' | Society | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/16/slumming-it-township-tour-reviews-gloss-over-poverty 2/5However, the depictions often obscured the inequalities between poor residents and wealthytourists.Across 452 Tripadvisor reviews only four remarked on water, sanitation or sewerage. Only twoobserved that the vast majority of residents lived without toilets or running water inside theirhomes. Overall, the majority of reviews represented residents as satisfied with theircircumstances, with several reviewers remarking that they thought the children in thetownships had better lives than those from privileged backgrounds.Writing in the journal Geoforum, the researchers suggest that this can lead to an unhealthyreframing of the debate about urban poverty.“Over recent years, slum tourism has thrived across the world, fuelled by a growth ininternational travel, rapid urbanisation, and of course deepening levels of global inequality,”said lead researcher Dr Monique Huysamen, from the department of psychology at Bath. “Itnow forms part of an ever-growing ‘alternative’ tourism industry, which includes practices like‘ecotourism’ as well as ‘voluntourism’ – a popular gap-year activity for young travellers fromthe global north.”But she warned: “While township tours, if operated by local residents, may potentially offercertain economic benefits for these communities, we found that tourists’ reviews lead to askewed representation of poverty and its causes, certainly in South African townships.“Issues like inadequate sanitation – a topic which has been deeply politicised in recent years inSouth Africa – are too often glossed over, and the need for radical social and infrastructuralchange is invisible from their Tripadvisor reviews.”The findings highlight how poverty tourism has become a double-edged sword for peopleliving in slum areas.“These ‘attractions’ are marketed as cultural experiences offering socially responsiblealternatives to mainstream mass tourism,” Huysamen said. “They are marketed as anopportunity ‘do good while on holiday’. On the other hand, this kind of tourism has comeunder fire for supporting the commoditisation, romanticisation and consumption of poverty,and slum tourists are often are accused of engaging in ‘poverty tourism’ or a form of ‘povertyporn’.”But with much of international travel now on hold due to Covid-19, Huysamen said there was achance to rethink and re-evaluate future tourism. “The pause in travel allows us anopportunity to think much more deeply about how such tourism might be reinforcing andexacerbating patterns of inequality and poverty. Where we do visit destinations whereresidents live in abject poverty, we need to think carefully about how we retell and representthese experiences to others, for example on social media, so that we are sure to paint a fullerpicture of their lives and the challenges they face.”Since you’re here …… we have a small favour to ask. You've read  5 articles What's this? We would like to remindyou how many Guardian articles you've enjoyed on this device. Can we continue showing youthis? Yes, that's OK No, opt me out Please note you cannot undo this action or opt back in inthe last year. And you’re not alone; millions are flocking to the Guardian for open, quality newsevery day, and readers in 180 countries around the world now support us financially.The crises we’ve faced in 2020 have underlined why factual information is indispensable to usall. We’re determined to provide journalism that helps each of us better understand the world,25/08/2020 Slumming it? Township tour reviews 'gloss over poverty' | Society | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/16/slumming-it-township-tour-reviews-gloss-over-poverty 3/5and take actions that challenge, unite, and inspire change. With no shareholders or billionaireowner, our journalism is free from political and commercial bias – this makes us different. Wecan give a voice to the oppressed and neglected, and stand in solidarity with the struggle fortruth, humanity and justice.Supporting us means investing in Guardian journalism for tomorrow and the years ahead. Themore readers funding our work, the more questions we can ask, the deeper we can dig, and thegreater the impact we can have. Your support protects our editorial independence andautonomy, which allows us to fearlessly investigate and interrogate the words of those withpolitical and commercial power – and help bring about a brighter, fairer future.Your support means we can keep our journalism open, so millions more have free access to thehigh-quality, trustworthy news they deserve. So we seek your funding not simply to survive,but to grow our journalistic ambitions and inform more people. If there were ever a time tojoin us, and help accelerate our growth, it is now. You have the power to support us throughthese challenging financial times and enable real-world impact.Every contribution, however big or small, is so valuable for our future. Support us today fromas little as £1 – it only takes a minute. Thank you.25/08/2020 Slumming it? Township tour reviews 'gloss over poverty' | Society | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/16/slumming-it-township-tour-reviews-gloss-over-poverty 4/5Support the GuardianRemind me in OctoberRemind me in OctoberEmail addressSet my reminderWe will use this to send you a single email in October 2020. To find out what personal data wecollect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy25/08/2020 Slumming it? Township tour reviews 'gloss over poverty' | Society | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/16/slumming-it-township-tour-reviews-gloss-over-poverty 5/5We will be in touch to invite you to contribute. Look out for a message in your inbox in October2020. If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us here.TopicsPovertyThe ObserverTripadvisorSouth AfricaAfricaSocial exclusionTravel websitesnews

Slumming it? Township tour reviews ‘gloss over poverty’

https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/626381/1/Slumming%20it_%20Township%20tour%20reviews%20%27gloss%20over%20poverty%27%20_%20Society%20_%20The%20Guardian.pdf

Slumming it? Township tour reviews ‘gloss over poverty’

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

E-space: Manchester Metropolitan University's Research Repository