Analysis Of Slum Tourism

An analysis of Slum Tourism as a Viable Tourism Product in Jamaica

Introduction

It is quite interesting that impoverished areas that are frowned upon are now being sought out by tourists as places to visit. Slums are most times situated in urban areas because people tend to move to the city in quest for a better life. Dweks (2004) as quoted by Mowforth (2008), highlights that individuals are living in an increasingly urbanized world and this is likely to gain momentum rather than back-pedal the extension of slums. In 2006 a report by the United Nation’s city agency (UNHABITAT) confirmed that the global urban transformation is only at mid-point with forecasts showing that over the next 25 years the world’s urban occupance is set to expand to 4.9 billion people by 2030, approximately

It then spread to the rest of the world including Africa, particularly in South Africa where it is well established. Today it has spread to other parts of the world such as Jamaica. The aims of slum tourism therefore range from increasing local employment, to involving local people in the decision-making. It is therefore a pro-poor venture. These include tour drivers, slum tour guides and the tours‟ security teams. Slum tourism targets the disadvantaged communities and therefore it is a good form of Pro-Poor Tourism (PPT). PPT aims at exposing opportunities for the poor for economic gain, livelihood benefits, or participation in decision-making (Ashley, Roe and Goodwin, 2001) in which slum tourism has lot of potential. Slum tourism can also help in shifting focus from environment and wildlife-based tourism to poverty-reducing tourism which will have more benefits to the poor and less impact to the environment, hence the need for this study. The study will be carried out in Kingston slum because it is one of the most visited parishes in Jamaica. Trench Town, in Kingston, Jamaica, is a so-called inner-city