The Paradox of Slum Tourism

Companies like Get Your Guide and TripAdvisor boast a variety of slum tours, enabling enthusiastic and excited travellers to experience what it is like to live in these places. Given titles like ‘Nairobi: Explore Kibera Slum with Local Guides’ or ‘Mumbai: Dharavi Slum Walking Tour with Local Slum Dweller’, individuals are promised opportunities to ‘live and work’ like a local, discover ‘innovative items made in tiny spaces’ and ‘marvel at the residents’ genius’ for as little as £6.

Slum tourism involves tourists - usually from the Global North -  intentionally going into impoverished neighbourhoods or slums - usually in the Global South. Driven by pure curiosity, and the desire to be self- reflective, these opportunities enable them to contrast their lives with those that live in economically impoverished areas. Over the decades, this practice has been viewed as a paradox. On one hand, it has attracted much scrutiny for being neo-colonial and romanticising negative stereotypes of poverty, while on the other, recent debates have found that it is a positive way to generate local business. This article will delve into the phenomenon before using Soweto township in South Africa as a case study.

Introduction

The United Nations has defined ‘a slum’ or an ‘informal settlement’ as a group of individuals that ‘live in the same roof in an urban area which lacks one or more of the following:

• Durable housing of a permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions.

• Sufficient living space which means not more than three people sharing the same room.

• Easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts at an affordable price.

• Access to adequate sanitation in the form of a private or public toilet shared by a reasonable number of people.

• Security of tenure that prevents forced evictions.’

The practice which involves visiting slums as a recreational activity began in Victorian London. Upper classes, politicians, academics, social reformers and journalists amongst others ran these tours, which, over the next 100 years began formalizing to what we know of it today. Today, they are run by private tour companies, charities and non-governmental organisations and are understood to be an activity where tourists from the Global North visit impoverished urban centres in the Global South.

The Controversy

Viewed as neo-colonial, slum tourism has been criticised for perpetuating ideas of despair and misery, along with romanticising poverty. In this, they feed into stereotypes that conceal many of the daily problems which the people living in these areas face. A study by the University of Bath which analysed TripAdvisor reviews of slum tours in South Africa found how only four of 452 reviews commented on water, sanitation and sewage within townships. As a result, reviews present residents as satisfied living situations, something which renders it as acceptable. These opinions also ‘mask’ systemic issues such as social, economic and political challenges, portraying them as the norm in the Global South.

A Positive Way to Engage with Cultural Experiences

On the other hand, slum tourism has also been presented as a contribution to the local economies of Global South countries. Eager eyed tourists are attracted to cultural experiences which differ to their everyday lives and their spending enables employment and growth to be created in marginalised areas. Not only can they contribute to tours themselves, but they can also purchase local goods such as food and souvenirs. Those that live in such areas are also able to gain the support they need in building their own businesses, fostering self-empowerment and mobility.  The practice can also help debunk some of the negative perceptions that these areas have, enabling knowledge to be gained and then spread back to where tourists have come from. 

Case Study on Soweto Township, South Africa

Advertised in Getaway Magazine, slum tourism has described the activity in South Africa as a ‘significant sector within the South African tourism industry’. This is because it provides visitors with the opportunities to engage with local communities and experience cultural practices along with understanding the historical context behind such areas. Slum tours in their current embodiment began in South Africa in 1991 when apartheid was at full force. Visitors to the country were directed to townships and non-white areas in major cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg.

One such township is Soweto, located in Gauteng Province and is the country’s largest Black urban complex. Created during apartheid by the white government in the 1930s to keep blacks away from white suburbs, the township represents the ‘politics of poverty and segregation, the struggle for democracy and the spiritual emptiness of [the country]’. Soweto developed from the shantytowns and slums which were made when Black labourers from rural areas went there in the period between World Wars I and II. It has since been the spearhead for the demands towards Black equality during apartheid, been the site of the Soweto rebellion and has the only street in the world where two Nobel Prize winners once lived (Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu).

In 2002, Soweto was incorporated into Johannesburg, and today, it is a vast neighbourhood, home to around 2 million people. A township of contrasts, some communities face social and economic problems with poverty being the most prevalent. Parts of Soweto lack access to electricity, clean water, infrastructure and sanitation, all of which negatively impact the quality of life of those that live there. Schools also suffer from a lack of infrastructure and tend to be overcrowded, with drop out rates high.

Despite this, slum tours in Soweto are rampant. Between 200,000 and 300,000 tourists visit the township annually, coming mostly from the United States, the Netherlands, Germany and South America leading this. Although this does have many economic benefits such as job creation (through tours as seen on sites like Get Your Guide and Trip Advisor) and support for local business, largely there was a disruption of family or community life and an overcrowding of amenities.

The practice of slum tourism is a paradox within itself. While it can generate income and support local business, it risks turning poverty into a commodity, reinforcing stereotypes and obscuring the systemic inequalities that residents face. Soweto’s example shows how tours can both empower communities and disrupt daily life, highlighting the practice’s dual nature.

Published in Edition 18 of Developmental Insights.