Touring Poverty in Townships, Inner-City, and Rural South Africa

Abstract

South African townships have long attracted visitors and for a variety of reasons. Township tourism was first recognized as a specific form of popular tours that emerged in the post-Apartheid years. These tours took place in the main South Africa cities and its most famous townships, generally followed a standard formula in terms of content and timing. As a locally specific form of tourism, township tours were soon also recognized as part of a larger global trend of a new type tourism in poor urban neighborhoods, from Brazilian favelas to Indian slums. South African experiences also inspired the formation of similar tours in neighboring countries. Township tourism in South Africa also expanded, taking in wider activities, including more overnight stays and different modes of transport. More cities and even towns developed township tours. Township tourism was always based on a number of motivation and cannot be linked to tourist curiosity about poverty alone. In the last decade, it has become increasingly clear that tourism occurs is wide range of poor areas in South Africa, not just in township. This includes inner cities zones as well as rural settlements. The visitor economies of these areas remain broadly under-researched. This article provides an overview of research on tourism in areas of poverty in South Africa.