Tourism and Poverty Reduction - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 119

In the 1950s, tourism was identified as a strategy that could help newly
independent developing countries to pull themselves out of various states of
under-development. The liberal approach to tourism is informed by the logic
of modernisation theory, which informed development practice particularly
from the 1950s through to the 1970s (see Chapter 2). From this perspective,
tourism is regarded as 'a catalyst for modernization, economic development
and prosperity in emerging nations in the third world' (Williams, 1998: 1),
an industry which generates jobs and foreign exchange, while also bringing
beneficial socio-cultural change in terms of demonstrating 'modern' ways of
life to people living in traditional cultures. A basic premise of this approach
was that people's traditional ways of life contributed to their poverty. This
approach thus endorses tourism as a suitable strategy for governments of
poorer countries to kick-start their economies, engage with Western society
(the intended source of tourist arrivals) and to pursue a range of development
goals, including infrastructure development, job creation and growth.
However, by the 1960s it was becoming clear that even when economic
growth occurred, this did not necessarily 'trickle down' to benefit the poor.
Thus, in the 1970s and 1980s many social scientists argued that poor people
and developing countries are typically excluded from or disadvantaged by
what tourism can offer. Tourism was widely critiqued as an industry domi-
nated by large corporations which exploit the labour and resources of devel-
oping countries, cause environmental degradation, commodify traditional
cultures, and lead to social disharmony (Britton, 1982b; Pleumarom, 1994).
It was claimed that tourism, in many cases, exploits, highlights and entren-
ches the differences between rich and poor (Brohman, 1996a). There are
also contemporary studies which seriously question the benefits of tour-
ism for developing countries (e.g. Akama, 2004; Manyara & Jones, 2007;
Mbaiwa, 2005b).
Post-colonial writers also contribute to this critical stance on tourism in
developing countries, demonstrating how contemporary tourism is anchored
in colonial and post-colonial relationships, how neo-colonial ideas still reso-
nate in tourism marketing, and questioning, for example, the power relations
implicit in images and text used to promote tourism (Hall & Tucker, 2004;
Akama, 2004). They thus note that certain places and peoples have appeal
because they are seen as 'unspoilt' to the middle and upper classes of the
West and the emerging economies (Jaakson, 2004; Wels, 2004). 'Unspoilt',
however, often equates with poverty; while resorts and luxury lodges have
every convenience, those living in the 'picturesque' villages nearby may lack
basics such as access to clean drinking water and sanitation services, and
health facilities and schools may only be available to those who can afford
transportation and fees. Tourism has been accused of aestheticising poverty,
of turning poverty into 'the picturesque' (Marshment, 1997: 28). This has
sometimes been the case with 'slum tourism' (see Chapters 6 and 13), which
has increased in popularity since the release of the Oscar Award winning