Have you ever heard of slum tourism? This is a tourist practice where travelers visit poor areas of the Global South to view and learn about the impoverished conditions of local inhabitants. Organized slum tours exist around the world in cities such as Mexico City, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Cape Town, Nairobi, Cairo, and Rio de Janeiro.
While the practice of slum tourism is certainly not a new concept—for instance, 19th century wealthy Londoners would sometimes go “slumming” in the poorer neighborhoods of London—there has been an increase in the number of organized tours worldwide which has fueled discussion about this controversial practice.
So is slum tourism or poverty tourism harmful or helpful? We’ll examine the arguments for and against slum tourism and then discuss a research study that examined this question by interviewing slum residents and stakeholders in Cairo, Egypt.
Table of Contents:
A Brief Summary of the Arguments For and Against Slum Tourism
As noted, there are a number of arguments for why slum tourism can be beneficial and helpful to residents of impoverished areas. However, there are just as many arguments made about why poverty tourism can be negative and harmful.
Arguments in Support of Slum Tourism
Here’s a general summary of points often noted by supporters of slum tourism:
- It is a profitable business practice that employs locals who live in these impoverished areas,
- Opens visitors’ eyes to poverty in other parts of the world and perhaps motivates them to do something
- Many tours donate a percentage of their profits back to the community in some way (e.g., maintaining parks, schools, or community centers)
- Increasing tourism to these impoverished areas leads to increased income for locals selling products and services
- Increased tourism leads to increased government investment in infrastructure (e.g., roads, telecommunications, bridges, water supply) that will benefit both travelers and locals.
Arguments against the Practice of Slum Tourism
Here’s a general summary of points often brought up against the practice of slum tourism:
- Slum tourism is a practice only geared towards making profits out of viewing the poverty of others
- The practice is exploitative and voyeuristic
- Locals do not like or want to be put on display for tourists and may feel demoralized by it,
- Most tourists only visit out of curiosity, not with the intent of giving back to the community
- Viewing poverty in an idealized manner only downplays the real and difficult living conditions of people in the slums.
Interestingly, much of the commentary on slum tourism comes from those living in the industrialized Western world and is predominately based on opinions and anecdotal information. It is more important to hear from those who actually live in these areas, and to collect this data using empirical methods.
Let’s take a look at a research article recently published in Annals of Tourism Research that specifically investigates whether slum tourism can be a responsible practice by gathering information from both local inhabitants working in the slums and from local experts involved in developing these areas.
Research Study on Slum Tourism
We’ll take a look at the following research article:
Mekawy, M. A. (2012). Responsible slum tourism: Egyptian experience. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(4), 2092-2113. doi: 10.1016/j.annals.2012.07.006
An Overview of How the Research was Conducted
The research team conducted two different surveys. The first was a survey of 464 people dwelling in the Ashwa’iyyat (Arabic for slums) of Cairo, Egypt who had at least some experience with tourists or tourism. The goal of this survey was to examine the thoughts and feelings of inhabitants about the presence of slum tourism in their neighborhoods, and to better understand the positive and negative aspects of tourism in the eyes of those living in the slums.
The second survey was given to 89 stakeholders who were slum experts, planners, researchers, or developers within Cairo. The goal of this survey was to identify responsible tourist activities and practices to help enhance living conditions for those living in the slum areas.
Research Results and Findings
Those who dwell and work within the slums of Cairo had mixed opinions about various aspects of slum tourism, but over two-thirds of the sample felt that there were positive aspects of slum tourism that could enhance the living conditions in the slums.
Some of the tourism-related activities rated as most positive by inhabitants were collecting donations from tourists for local development projects, the employment of poor local laborers, the direct participation of tourists in local infrastructure improvement, and having tourists help with preparing food and water for poor residents.
Negatively rated aspects of slum tourism included having their rights (e.g., land tenure, traditional customs) being used as tourism assets, voyeuristic and exploitative aspects of tourism, being observed by tourists, and Arab tourists visiting for marriage-related purposes.
Most inhabitants felt that although tourism may be helpful, that there are a lot of barriers to benefiting from slum tourism. The most commonly rated barrier was the high population density of the slums. Others included remoteness of slums, feelings of shame by inhabitants about their living conditions, having little faith in government support, and concerns about human trafficking.
The stakeholders working to help improve conditions in these communities agreed that tourism can be useful to help improve conditions in Cairo. These experts reported that they believed that different pro-poor tourism strategies are needed in the different slum areas of Cairo.
In each of the four distinct slum areas of Cairo, these experts felt that a different tourism strategy would be best and would need to be based on the people dwelling in the area and the physical resources present in each area.
For example, whereas traditional market visits were rated as the most beneficial tourism activity for those living in slums within the historic, medieval part of Cairo, those living in the subdivided agricultural lands may benefit most from rural food and drink celebrations.
What do these Study Findings Mean?
The author concludes that the focus of future discussion should not be on just the presence of slum tourism, but how it can be best planned and implemented to enhance the lives of those dwelling in these poor areas. The study found that the majority of the local inhabitants of the slums do feel that there are ways that slum tourism can enhance their living conditions; however, there are also negative aspects to tourism and there are a lot of barriers that can prevent inhabitants from being able to benefit from tourism.
Expert stakeholders suggest that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to how to best implement responsible tourism in these poor areas and that each area may benefit from a different individual approach. For instance, among the four distinct areas in Cairo, the experts suggested that a different strategy would likely be needed in each area based on the needs of the inhabitants and the locally available resources.
Interested in more research related to slum tourism? Want to find out more about what tourists who take these tours have to say about the practice?
Check out our other post reviewing research about township tourism in South Africa, and our latest article about slum tourism and responsible travel guidelines.
So what do you think of the practice of slum tourism? Is it an essentially exploitative practice? Can slum tourism be conducted in a responsible and ethical manner that provides travelers an enriching experience while also enhancing the living conditions of the poor?
Elvia Post author
The article, “Travel Research How do Locals Feel about the Practice of Slum Tourism,” by Jessica Norah provoked many questions on the topic of slum tourism. One of those questions pertains to how do the locals feel about slum tourism. “The study found that the majority of the local inhabitants of the slums do feel that there are ways that slum tourism can enhance their living conditions; however, there are also negative aspects to tourism, and there are a lot of barriers that can prevent inhabitants from being able to benefit from tourism.” I put myself in the shoes of the less fortunate. Personally, I wouldn’t be keen of strangers visiting my community to feed their curiosity. The article lists some pros about these tours, such as providing essential improvements to the community. I would be interested to know how much of the percentage of the money donated goes into enriching these less fortunate communities. How are the affected kept in mind when the individuals create the tours, and is the community asked if they want to be part of this project. I would assume no based on the information stated in the article. After thoroughly reading the article and their findings on their research, I understand that the only people who are looked after are those putting the money in their pockets by profiting from these slums.
Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author
Hi Elvia,
Glad to see you are interested in the issue of slum tourism or poverty tourism.
The study we discussed and commented on was focused on a specific place in Egypt (and we have another article on a specific area in South Africa) and the way that poverty tourism or slum tourism is done in these places is different. So the pros and cons for each community are going to be a bit different and I would really look at a specific community of interest. Sometimes the community is involved in the tours and process, and sometimes they are not involved. Sometimes the proceeds (or part of them) go back to the community, sometimes they do not. Again, this all depends and is very different across the world and individual communities. If you are interested in a particular area, I would encourage you to seek out original research about that area and to look into tours offered there to get a better understanding of how they are run and the pros/cons for the local community.
Best,
Jessica
Sarah Post author
Hi, I have stumbled across your blog as I research slum tourism as part of an MA in International Tourism Development. When I have some spare time I am looking forward to grabbing a cup of tea and reading much more! Your critical approach to this subject is refreshing and informative. thank you for the fantastic post.
Best wishes, Sarah, UK.
travelcats Post author
Thanks Sarah for your nice comment, I’ve included a couple posts on the blog about poverty tourism. I would love to hear your thoughts about slum tourism after you do your research given it is part of your area of study! ~ Best, Jessica
H.H.H. Post author
Very interesting article! I studied psychology so your “Psychology of Travel” section has definitely stirred my interest! I have never seen it on any other travel blog, great idea!
As for slum tourism, I have always felt quite negatively about it as I viewed it as voyeuristic and disrespectful and have always refused to participate in any such tours, but the research you quote shows that not all the aspects of it are as negative as I thought. I find it surprising that such a high percentage of slums inhabitants view it as something positive. Very thought provoking, thanks!
Merry Christmas! 🙂
travelcats Post author
Yes, it is definitely an issue that most people see as a negative practice. However, I do believe there are ways that slum tourism can have positive effects on impoverished communities. Check out our latest article about slum tourism in South Africa.
Moustafa A. Mekawy Post author
Dear Travelcats,
Thanks a lot for the critical review of my article. In addition, i would like to thank all of those who enriched your review.
As you said, slum tourism is a controversial topic and needs more contributions. Therefore, I welcome all constructive criticism and viewpoints.
Regards,
Moustafa A. Mekawy, the author
travelcats Post author
Thank you very much for stopping by our blog and for your contribution to the research in this area!
M. Borgarbúi Post author
Slum tourism is not better than visiting zoo to watch wild animals in cages.
I don’t see anything wrong when people accidentally of by their own curiosity visits slum areas, but to take a guided tour is completely ridiculous and disrespectful for people living there. In most cases, especially in India I hardly believe that anyone in the slum earns any profit from it.
Anyway, it’s a great article. Looking forward to hear more about this subject.
Jessica Post author
Hello, yes slum tourism is a very controversial issue, and you are correct in that some tour operators give very little back to the local people. However, many do believe it is possible to have sustainable tourism efforts that visit poor areas AND give back to the locals. It is just not an easy thing but I do believe it is possible. But as you say based on your experience in India, many tours may not be very responsible.
Also the research seems to indicate it is probably better for tourists to be with a local tour guide than just wandering around on their own out of curiosity. A good guide can help better ensure people respect cultural norms, respect the privacy of residents, and are made aware of local businesses.
I will be posting soon on slum tourism (known as township tourism) in South Africa and how it could be changed to be better for the local people.
Meredith Post author
When we were in Rio we saw quite a few advertisements for favella tours. I had a very interesting conversation with the one of the hostel workers about the pros/cons of the tours. For the most part he seemed in favor of the practice (although he wasn’t from a favella himself). Apparently it’s helped with the government’s efforts to clean out the drugs and violence and to promote local artists/the economy. I certainly understand the point, but to me it still feels a little voyeuristic and exploitative. It just felt awkward to think of going, so maybe I missed out. Maybe I’ll reconsider in the future. Thanks for posting!
travelcats Post author
Thanks Meredith for checking out this article. Yes, it’s such an interesting topic and I can certainly see both sides. I am hoping to post further on slum tourism soon as I think most people know very little about this practice and people generally have only heard one-sided arguments. I think that increasing awareness on this topic is important.
Darcy Post author
This topic is really interesting. I’d never heard of slum tourism before. It’s certainly given me a lot to think about.
travelcats Post author
Hopefully as more people become aware of slum tourism, the more it can either be prevented or done in a way that will help benefit the locals.
Melissa Post author
Thank you for posting this fantastic research article. You’ve really captured both sides of the arguments and presented them in a concise and cohesive manner. This is such a slippery slope argument and I can definitely see the pros and cons from both sides. I feel that one of the problems with slum tourism is that it is just that: a business based on tourism. It seems that the slum tourism industry wouldn’t be as profitable if money was put back into the slums to improve the quality of life/living. I don’t know…it’s tricky. I would really love to read more articles on this topic.
travelcats Post author
Glad you enjoyed it! It’s definitely a controversial issue. I hope to post another article in the next week or so that will talk about slum tourism from the tourist perspective.
Heather Post author
I really found this information to be quite interesting. I have had family who have done guided tours like you described in India and I had at the time thought they were alll bad and exploitative. Now I hsve a more mixed viewpoint as obviously such slum tourism has some great POTENTIAL benefits. I for one woukd love to see more articles like this on slum tourism. I really like your Psychology of Travel section.
travelcats Post author
Thanks Heather for your comment. Yes, this type of tourism definitely has both pros and cons and is not black or white/bad or good in my opinion. I am glad you found the article helpful and I would be happy to post more research data related to slum tourism soon. I have an article which examines the actual thoughts and opinions of those tourists who take the tours. I will summarize and post that over the next couple weeks. Keep checking back!