Tourism Geographies

An International Journal of Tourism Space, Place and Environment

ISSN: 1461-6688 (Print) 1470-1340 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rtxg20

Understanding the Dimensions of Pro-Poor

Tourism

Cristina Jönsson

To cite this article: Cristina Jönsson (2012) Understanding the Dimensions of Pro-Poor Tourism,
Tourism Geographies, 14:2, 356-358, DOI: 10.1080/14616688.2012.633221

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2012.633221

Published online: 20 Feb 2012.

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Tourism Geographies
Vol. 14, No. 2, 356–360, May 2012

Literature Review

Understanding the Dimensions of Pro-Poor Tourism

A review of:
Tourism and Poverty
R. Scheyvens
Routledge, New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-415-99675-4

This book sets out to give a comprehensive overview of tourism and poverty. Regina
Sheyvens responds to the lack of studies and publications on the potential contribution
of tourism to poverty alleviation and examines how tourism can uplift the well-being
of the poor. The book is based on the author’s fundamental belief that the sustained
presence of high levels of inequality and poverty in the world is an insult to humanity.
The eight chapters of the book shed light on debates around tourism in developing
countries and pay particular attention to the contribution of tourism to poverty. The
author clarifies the complex, multidimensional phenomenon of poverty through a
comprehensive discussion of tourism development and poverty alleviation.
In chapter one the author introduces the potential of Pro-poor Tourism (PPT) and the
concerns about what PPT can achieve and how it can impact on people’s livelihoods.
It contains a good discussion on trends in global tourism and draws attention to the
potential in the growth of tourism to developing countries. The meaning of poverty
and its dimensions is thoroughly discussed in chapter two. Theoretical underpinnings
of PPT are discussed in this chapter as well as the possibilities of PPT to assist the poor
to be respected members of their community and to be able to contribute to family
life and other social group events. In building capabilities of the poor, PPT strategies
are discussed from the point of view that it should facilitate the empowerment of
the poor and assist them in securing their rights and gaining greater control over
their lives. The author is of the view that there is potential for tourism to direct
more of its benefits to the poor and, therefore, the book pays particular attention to
governments, development agencies, tourism organization bodies and large tourism
companies who have the power to make a difference in the contribution of tourism
to poverty alleviation.
Major critiques of tourism in developing countries that developed in the 1970s
are the focus of chapter three. The purpose of this chapter is to raise awareness of

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C 2012 Taylor & Francis

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2012.633221
 Literature Reviews 357

constraints that the author feels need to be addressed in order for tourism to be able to
work effectively in the interest of the poor. The intention of this chapter is to remind
readers of the limitations that hinder tourism from contributing to poverty alleviation.
Consequently, evidence of the ways in which tourism has undermined development
prospects in specific places is reviewed in this chapter. It concludes on a positive note
with reflections on criticisms towards the tourism sector and notes that tourism adds
to poverty and is therefore often seen as the culprit for a number of socioeconomic
and environmental problems. Chapter four examines poverty as a phenomenon that
attracts tourists and includes explanations by postcolonial and postmodern writers
on reasons for tourists wanting to visit cheap locations. The first part of the chapter
focuses on the marketing of developing countries by discussing ways in which images
and representations of developing countries and their people are manipulated by the
tourism industry. The author argues that tourism to poor countries should be about
enhancing the well-being of those visited and not about the rights of travellers to
explore exotic places and peoples. ‘Voluntourism’ is discussed in the second part of
the chapter. This new type of tourism where tourists wish to do charitable or volunteer
work is considered a type of tourism that attracts tourist to poor areas. Justice tours
that seek to develop an understanding of world inequality are also discussed. The
chapter concludes with a discussion on whether all types of tourists are ‘voyeurs of
poverty’ or whether their travel experiences will make considerable contributions to
development.
The latter part (chapters 5–7) of the book discusses positive ways in which
the tourism industry, governments and development agencies connect tourism and
poverty alleviation. Chapter five questions if an industry driven by profits, such as
tourism, can ever be expected to prioritize the interest of the poor. Hence, the focus
of the chapter is on recent shifts towards greater social responsibility in the tourism
industry. The main part of the chapter outlines progress to date by discussing ways in
which tourism industry players are engaging in forms of PPT and showing support for
tourism as a tool for poverty alleviation. Additionally, this chapter looks at ways in
which government must engage with tourism industry stakeholders if PPT is to work.
The final section of chapter five includes a good discussion on constraints to corporate
social responsibility (CSR) in tourism. This leads to the focus of chapter six, which
is on the roles of governments in promoting PPT. Here the author discusses ways
in which governments might encourage private sector actors to work in a pro-poor
manner and explains ways in which governments can adopt PPT. Included in this
chapter is a useful comprehensive list of policies and strategies that could be adopted
by governments that want to direct more benefits of tourism to the poor. However,
the chapter shows that growth of tourism does not always lead to fair distribution of
benefits and stresses the importance of strategic planning by governments.
PPT efforts of multilateral agencies, such as the World Bank and UNWTO, bilat-
eral donors, such as SNV (Netherlands) and GTZ (Germany), and NGOs are outlined
in chapter seven. The reasons for these agencies’ involvement in tourism for poverty
358 Literature Review

alleviation vary from neo-liberal growth orientated approaches to more alternative

development and human rights ideologies. The author discusses lessons that de-
velopment agencies can learn about the most effective ways of supporting poverty
alleviation through tourism, and pitfalls to avoid. Examples point to ways of ensuring
that tourism makes a real difference to the lives of the poor in the future and reveal
some very innovative attempts by development agencies to engage with the private
sector.
In conclusion, Tourism and Poverty is a great and much-needed addition to the
literature on tourism development in developing countries. It is a well-written book
in which tourism scholars, government officials, aid agencies, tourism organizations
and conservation bodies will find much that will stimulate and provoke. The book
makes a good teaching text for both undergraduate and postgraduate students and it
would certainly belong on the shelf of a student of tourism development. The book
should also provide an excellent introduction to tourism and poverty for those from
other academic disciplines.

Cristina Jönsson
Management Studies, University of the West Indies, Barbados
Email: cristina.jonsson@cavehill.uwi.edu

Tourism and Sustainable Development: Reconsidering a Concept

of Vague Policies
Jörn W. Mundt
Erich Schmidt Verlag, KG, Berlin, 2011, mmi + 205 pp., €39.95 (Pb), ISBN 13:
9783503130412, ISBN 10: 350313041.1

Tourism and Sustainable Development: Reconsidering a Concept of Vague Policies

is about sustainability and, in particular, sustainable development, and this book, by
Jörn W. Mundt, provides a review of its conceptual history, definitions and links to
tourism. I like this book. It is a little eclectic and certainly not a standard text in the
area of tourism and sustainability. I would suggest it is a good read for those looking
for some alternative views and who have read some of the works that are more geared
towards the tourism textbook market. This book certainly is not that, which I see as
a positive thing.
As an academic endeavour it does not sit centrally in the tourism area, but brings a
range of other views from other disciplines to the table. The book offers conceptual
insights into the complex interactions that surround sustainability and reserves only
three of its eight chapters for tourism. The result is a critical examination of sus-
tainability that highlights its links to tourism. As such the book offers a platform for
mainly academics to investigate some of the wider ideas around this topic. It contains