161
Interrogating Tourism As an Anti-Poverty Strategy in Middle and Low-Income Countries
Abstract Submissions Closed
RC13 Sociology of Leisure (host committee)
Language: English
Session Type: Oral
Interrogating Tourism as an Anti-Poverty Strategy in Middle- and Low-Income Countries
Tourism is considered an anti-poverty strategy used by various middle- and low-income countries to increase their foreign revenue and create job opportunities for their citizens. The ability of tourism to attract foreign revenue into middle income countries is creatively projected through international mass media channels in the form of advertisements and documentaries.
This session interrogates inequalities that arise due to tourism initiatives that transform sections of low- and middle-income countries into fantasy scenes and relaxation spots that separate the tourist from the economic realities of the host country. The exploitation of the land and people by the tourism industry brings to the front burner, questions of inequalities and oppression. The question projected is how much of the revenue that accrues from tourism actually goes into alleviating the poverty level of the immediate population within and around tourist sites?
This session invites scholars to contribute to this discourse by submitting abstracts that pertain to but not limited to the role of tourism in the development or underdevelopment of low- and middle-income countries. Papers may explore one of the following:
- Theoretical thoughts into the role of tourism in middle- and low-income countries
- Empirical analysis of case studies of tourism initiatives in low- and middle-income countries
- Media role in the projection of tourism in middle- and low-income countries