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Poverty alleviation through tourism: A comprehensive and integrated approach
Tourism Management 56 (2016) 207e208
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Tourism Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tourman
Book Review
Poverty alleviation through tourism: A comprehensive and integrated approach, R. Croes, M. Rivera. Apple Academic Press, Oakville, Ontario (2016), xx þ 246 pp., Hardback, £89.00, ISBN 978-177188-8. Poverty is a barrier to development. In other words, it is widely accepted that the world's poor lack the resources and capabilities necessary to begin the journey towards human well-being. Consequently, the first and principal goal of the recently concluded Millennium Development Goals programme was the eradication of poverty, as is that of the subsequent Sustainable Development Goals announced by the United Nations in 2015. Therefore, is not surprising that significant attention has been paid to the manner and extent to which tourism in particular may contribute to the alleviation of poverty. That is, tourism has long been considered an effective vehicle of wider economic growth and development and, implicitly therefore, of poverty reduction whilst, since the late 1990s, much research has focused explicitly on the relationship between tourism and poverty, initially through the Pro-Poor Tourism initiative and latterly in the tourism literature more generally. Despite the burgeoning research, however, a lack of consensus remains with regards to tourism's contribution to the alleviation of poverty. On the one hand, there are a number of examples of successful pro-poor tourism projects; on the other hand, many question the extent to which tourism may reach the poor without the support of such typically short-term interventionist policies. At first sight, therefore, this book promises to make a valuable contribution to the literature although the very first line of the preface e ‘The premise of this book is that tourism has the potential to reduce poverty in developing countries’ (p.xiii) e immediately calls into question the objectivity of the book, contradicting as it does both sound arguments in the literature and the reality of tourism development in many countries. Indeed, as discussed shortly, by the end of the book, not only does it become clear that its title is misleading (that is, readers expecting a ‘comprehensive and integrated approach’ to alleviating poverty through tourism will be sorely disappointed), but also the authors' proposed strategy e a socalled ‘demand pull approach’ (p. 229) e is similarly divorced from the reality of tourism in terms of both demand and supply. The book starts well enough. Following the aforementioned preface, the first (of nine) chapters introduces what it refers to as the ‘faces of the poor’, essentially describing the extent and experience of poverty before going on to initially address the role of tourism in poverty reduction. Despite its occasionally patronising, simplistic and surprisingly generalistic (given that most of the analysis is based on research in a small number of Latin American countries) tone e for example, the authors write that ‘Most [poor] are sad, humiliated, and embarrassed’ (p.2) e it paints a picture of http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.04.007 0261-5177
poverty that is depressing but yet essential reading. However, it is pity that in this chapter poverty is discussed only in the context of developing countries; poverty is both relative and absolute and also exists in most developed countries and, hence, it is ironic that income inequality in the US is not significantly different from that in some of the countries the (American) authors refer to (p.7). Nevertheless, the chapter provides a compelling argument for addressing the challenge of poverty before going on to suggest that, as an alleged stimulant of economic growth, tourism may have an important role to play. Chapter Two then goes on to explore the concept of poverty in more detail from a variety of paradigmatic perspectives, from poverty as measured by (lack of) income through to poverty as defined in the context of subjective well-being. In so doing, the authors draw on well-known development concepts, including both the basic needs and Amyarta Sen's widely-cited capabilities approaches, before combining these into a curiously-titled ‘poverty obliteration paradigm’. This essentially attempts to embrace different perspectives on poverty and the inter-relationship between those factors that determine poverty and its potential alleviation. Subsequently, Chapter Three turns to the relationship between tourism development, economic growth and poverty reduction and, although critically exploring some of the uncertainties surrounding this relationship, it begins to reveal both a strong bias towards econometric analysis that underpins the arguments in the following chapters and a worryingly simplistic understanding of the manner in which tourism may contribute to the alleviation of poverty. For example, it is claimed that ‘When the tourist gets to a place, the tourist roams around, and may therefore easily make contact with poor people’ (p.57), hence the belief that tourism may alleviate poverty. It is also claimed ‘poor people seem to concentrate at important heritage junctures that exercise a large appeal to tourists’ (p.57) and so, given the existence of many world heritage sites in developing countries, ‘the propensity for cultural tourism to contribute to their development is considerable’(p.58). In numerous destinations around the world, such a claim does not stand up to scrutiny. For example, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which attracted over 2.2 million international visitors in 2013, has arguably long been of the most popular heritage sites in south-east Asia, yet tourism continues to have little or no impact on poverty reduction in Siem Reap Province in which Angkor is located (Mao, Delacy, Grunfeld, & Chandler, 2014). This rather simplistic approach pervades the following three chapters (Four to Six) which, largely drawing on the authors' research and economic theorising of tourism in a limited number of Central and South American countries (principally Ecuador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua), attempt to establish a positive relationship (albeit unconvincingly) between tourism, economic growth and poverty reduction. Certainly, some recognition is given to institutional factors that may limit tourism's contribution to poverty
208
Book Review / Tourism Management 56 (2016) 207e208
alleviation e for example, ‘Tourism connects directly to the poor, but in order to amplify its effects, policies integrating then poor into the market are required’ (p.105). However, not only is it impossible to draw broader conclusions from research in such a small number of countries from just one region of the world but, throughout these chapters, the ‘poor’ and ‘tourism’ are referred to in only general terms. Who are these tourists? Where do they go? What activities do they engage in? Thus, although these chapters may be of some value to readers with a specific interest in these countries, they make little or no contribution to wider debates surrounding tourism and poverty alleviation. Chapter Seven, ‘Tourism and the Satisfied but Unhappy Poor’ represents, for this reviewer at least, the nadir of this book. The authors claim that they ‘listen to the opinions of the poor with regards to how they perceive their quality of life’ (p.168); they constantly refer to ‘multiple conversations’ with the poor, yet the discussion and analysis in this chapter are based upon limited quantitative surveys amongst ‘poor’ respondents at just three tourist sites, on each in Mexico, Ecuador and Costa Rica. Moreover, the only link with tourism is that the surveys were undertaken at tourist sites. This limitation is addressed to an extent in the following chapter, though again the discussion is based on quantitative analysis. Finally, in Chapter Nine the authors present their solution or ‘pathway’ to encouraging poverty reduction through tourism e their ‘demand-pull approach’ referred to above. Starting with the (highly contestable) claim that ‘Tourism's prowess can reach the poor in any corner of a country’ (p.222), as well as implying they have better answers than governments and NGOs (‘…the major
predicaments of programs aimed at reducing poverty are related to the presumption that governments and international organizations know what is best for the poor’ (p.226)), they appear to suggest that the optimal approach is to put cash directly in the hands of the poor. To achieve this, they suggest that travel to any poor country by a tourist from a rich country should be tax deductible e that is, the rich should receive tax breaks to take holidays. To any casual observer, such an idea e which the authors themselves describe as ‘crazy’ e would be considered unworkable and, perhaps, sums up this book as a whole. Indeed, far from providing a comprehensive, critical and balanced analysis of tourism's relationship with poverty alleviation that draws and builds upon the already substantial literature (much of which is overlooked) and takes into account the political, economic and socio-cultural realties of both developing nations in general and tourism in particular, this book offers what might best be described as a naïve, idealistic, perhaps arrogant and, ultimately, annoying treatment of the subject.
Reference Mao, N., Delacy, T., Grunfeld, H., & Chandler, D. (2014). Agriculture and tourism linkage constraints in the Siem Reap-Angkor region of Cambodia. Tourism Geographies, 16(4), 669e686.
Richard Sharpley School of Management, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK E-mail address: [email protected].
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Tourism Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tourman
Book Review
Poverty alleviation through tourism: A comprehensive and integrated approach, R. Croes, M. Rivera. Apple Academic Press, Oakville, Ontario (2016), xx þ 246 pp., Hardback, £89.00, ISBN 978-177188-8. Poverty is a barrier to development. In other words, it is widely accepted that the world's poor lack the resources and capabilities necessary to begin the journey towards human well-being. Consequently, the first and principal goal of the recently concluded Millennium Development Goals programme was the eradication of poverty, as is that of the subsequent Sustainable Development Goals announced by the United Nations in 2015. Therefore, is not surprising that significant attention has been paid to the manner and extent to which tourism in particular may contribute to the alleviation of poverty. That is, tourism has long been considered an effective vehicle of wider economic growth and development and, implicitly therefore, of poverty reduction whilst, since the late 1990s, much research has focused explicitly on the relationship between tourism and poverty, initially through the Pro-Poor Tourism initiative and latterly in the tourism literature more generally. Despite the burgeoning research, however, a lack of consensus remains with regards to tourism's contribution to the alleviation of poverty. On the one hand, there are a number of examples of successful pro-poor tourism projects; on the other hand, many question the extent to which tourism may reach the poor without the support of such typically short-term interventionist policies. At first sight, therefore, this book promises to make a valuable contribution to the literature although the very first line of the preface e ‘The premise of this book is that tourism has the potential to reduce poverty in developing countries’ (p.xiii) e immediately calls into question the objectivity of the book, contradicting as it does both sound arguments in the literature and the reality of tourism development in many countries. Indeed, as discussed shortly, by the end of the book, not only does it become clear that its title is misleading (that is, readers expecting a ‘comprehensive and integrated approach’ to alleviating poverty through tourism will be sorely disappointed), but also the authors' proposed strategy e a socalled ‘demand pull approach’ (p. 229) e is similarly divorced from the reality of tourism in terms of both demand and supply. The book starts well enough. Following the aforementioned preface, the first (of nine) chapters introduces what it refers to as the ‘faces of the poor’, essentially describing the extent and experience of poverty before going on to initially address the role of tourism in poverty reduction. Despite its occasionally patronising, simplistic and surprisingly generalistic (given that most of the analysis is based on research in a small number of Latin American countries) tone e for example, the authors write that ‘Most [poor] are sad, humiliated, and embarrassed’ (p.2) e it paints a picture of http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.04.007 0261-5177
poverty that is depressing but yet essential reading. However, it is pity that in this chapter poverty is discussed only in the context of developing countries; poverty is both relative and absolute and also exists in most developed countries and, hence, it is ironic that income inequality in the US is not significantly different from that in some of the countries the (American) authors refer to (p.7). Nevertheless, the chapter provides a compelling argument for addressing the challenge of poverty before going on to suggest that, as an alleged stimulant of economic growth, tourism may have an important role to play. Chapter Two then goes on to explore the concept of poverty in more detail from a variety of paradigmatic perspectives, from poverty as measured by (lack of) income through to poverty as defined in the context of subjective well-being. In so doing, the authors draw on well-known development concepts, including both the basic needs and Amyarta Sen's widely-cited capabilities approaches, before combining these into a curiously-titled ‘poverty obliteration paradigm’. This essentially attempts to embrace different perspectives on poverty and the inter-relationship between those factors that determine poverty and its potential alleviation. Subsequently, Chapter Three turns to the relationship between tourism development, economic growth and poverty reduction and, although critically exploring some of the uncertainties surrounding this relationship, it begins to reveal both a strong bias towards econometric analysis that underpins the arguments in the following chapters and a worryingly simplistic understanding of the manner in which tourism may contribute to the alleviation of poverty. For example, it is claimed that ‘When the tourist gets to a place, the tourist roams around, and may therefore easily make contact with poor people’ (p.57), hence the belief that tourism may alleviate poverty. It is also claimed ‘poor people seem to concentrate at important heritage junctures that exercise a large appeal to tourists’ (p.57) and so, given the existence of many world heritage sites in developing countries, ‘the propensity for cultural tourism to contribute to their development is considerable’(p.58). In numerous destinations around the world, such a claim does not stand up to scrutiny. For example, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which attracted over 2.2 million international visitors in 2013, has arguably long been of the most popular heritage sites in south-east Asia, yet tourism continues to have little or no impact on poverty reduction in Siem Reap Province in which Angkor is located (Mao, Delacy, Grunfeld, & Chandler, 2014). This rather simplistic approach pervades the following three chapters (Four to Six) which, largely drawing on the authors' research and economic theorising of tourism in a limited number of Central and South American countries (principally Ecuador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua), attempt to establish a positive relationship (albeit unconvincingly) between tourism, economic growth and poverty reduction. Certainly, some recognition is given to institutional factors that may limit tourism's contribution to poverty
208
Book Review / Tourism Management 56 (2016) 207e208
alleviation e for example, ‘Tourism connects directly to the poor, but in order to amplify its effects, policies integrating then poor into the market are required’ (p.105). However, not only is it impossible to draw broader conclusions from research in such a small number of countries from just one region of the world but, throughout these chapters, the ‘poor’ and ‘tourism’ are referred to in only general terms. Who are these tourists? Where do they go? What activities do they engage in? Thus, although these chapters may be of some value to readers with a specific interest in these countries, they make little or no contribution to wider debates surrounding tourism and poverty alleviation. Chapter Seven, ‘Tourism and the Satisfied but Unhappy Poor’ represents, for this reviewer at least, the nadir of this book. The authors claim that they ‘listen to the opinions of the poor with regards to how they perceive their quality of life’ (p.168); they constantly refer to ‘multiple conversations’ with the poor, yet the discussion and analysis in this chapter are based upon limited quantitative surveys amongst ‘poor’ respondents at just three tourist sites, on each in Mexico, Ecuador and Costa Rica. Moreover, the only link with tourism is that the surveys were undertaken at tourist sites. This limitation is addressed to an extent in the following chapter, though again the discussion is based on quantitative analysis. Finally, in Chapter Nine the authors present their solution or ‘pathway’ to encouraging poverty reduction through tourism e their ‘demand-pull approach’ referred to above. Starting with the (highly contestable) claim that ‘Tourism's prowess can reach the poor in any corner of a country’ (p.222), as well as implying they have better answers than governments and NGOs (‘…the major
predicaments of programs aimed at reducing poverty are related to the presumption that governments and international organizations know what is best for the poor’ (p.226)), they appear to suggest that the optimal approach is to put cash directly in the hands of the poor. To achieve this, they suggest that travel to any poor country by a tourist from a rich country should be tax deductible e that is, the rich should receive tax breaks to take holidays. To any casual observer, such an idea e which the authors themselves describe as ‘crazy’ e would be considered unworkable and, perhaps, sums up this book as a whole. Indeed, far from providing a comprehensive, critical and balanced analysis of tourism's relationship with poverty alleviation that draws and builds upon the already substantial literature (much of which is overlooked) and takes into account the political, economic and socio-cultural realties of both developing nations in general and tourism in particular, this book offers what might best be described as a naïve, idealistic, perhaps arrogant and, ultimately, annoying treatment of the subject.
Reference Mao, N., Delacy, T., Grunfeld, H., & Chandler, D. (2014). Agriculture and tourism linkage constraints in the Siem Reap-Angkor region of Cambodia. Tourism Geographies, 16(4), 669e686.
Richard Sharpley School of Management, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK E-mail address: [email protected].