Preserving the Geographical Imaginary of the Poor Township: The Role of Intermediaries in Township Tourism
Open Access
- Author:
- Burka, Marina Lauren
- Area of Honors:
- Geography
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Brian Hastings King, Thesis Supervisor
Carter A Hunt, Thesis Supervisor
Roger Michael Downs, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- township tourism
slum tourism
geographical imaginary
South Africa
township tour
tour operator
authenticity - Abstract:
- Slum tourism has spread throughout the Global South in the last twenty years. While intended as an ‘authentic’ experience for guests and an economically transformative experience for hosts, many argue that slum tourism allows voyeuristic curiosity about selected and idealized aspects of poverty to be turned into touristic capital and commoditized by the Global North. Through an analysis of township tourism in South Africa within the theoretical approaches of neoliberal, growth-focused pro-poor tourism (PPT), it is argued that poverty is central to the slum tourism experience, aided by a preexisting geographical imaginary of the slum as a place defined by poverty. This renders the sustainability of the slum tourism industry contingent upon the maintenance of the very socioeconomic conditions it claims to overcome. Research was conducted during the spring and summer of 2014 to understand the mechanisms by which township tour operators negotiate this contradiction. This thesis argues that tour operators are crucial intermediaries who perpetuate specific geographical imaginaries about the township through dissemination of promotional materials and control of the spatial flow of tourists throughout the township, relying heavily on the story-telling skills of their tour guides. This narrative is woven from two interlinking threads: that the township is a place of authenticity, constructed through difference from the tourist’s everyday experiences; and that the tourist is an important and primary agent of development within the township. While this thesis does not outright reject slum tourism as a viable business venture, it does assert that the perpetuation of a simplified and homogenized geographical imaginary of the township has problematic effects. This thesis therefore aims to create space for a dialogue that will allow for better research and development paradigms pertaining to slum tourism.