Who is right? The debate on Poverty Tourism

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Photo from Poverty Tourism

Google the term “slum tourism” and you find pages upon pages of articles, blog entries, and even narrated photographic slideshows on the topic, with titles such as:

• “Slum Tours: Real or Real Tacky?” (National Geographic Traveler)
• “Slum Visits: Tourism or Voyeurism?” (New York Times)
• “Slum Tours: A Day Trip Too Far?” (Guardian)
• “Slum Tourism: Good or Bad?” (Foreign Policy)

Each piece is structured in basically the same way: Describe the author’s trip to a slum. Mention other recent articles about poverty tourism. Throw in a reference to “Slumdog Millionaire” for good measure. Then ask the question,

“Who is right?”

In this blog, I hope to move past this basic question to which there is no simple answer, and explore the ways in which poverty tourism affects and is affected by the communities in which it flourishes. However, I believe it is necessary to include an explanation of the underlying controversy that has given rise to the aforementioned articles, blogs, and the like.

Continue reading this article @ Poverty Tourism

Further information:

• Calling Poverty Tourism by its true name
• Voyeurism Or Tourism?: Globetrotters In Harlem
• Voyeurism Or Tourism?