Affiliation:
1. University of Sunderland in London, UK
Abstract
Tourism has been utilised as a tool for poverty alleviation globally, and its growth is envisioned to directly or indirectly impact the lives of the local communities. The dialogue on poverty alleviation led to the formulation of pro-poor tourism (PPT). PPT is defined as tourism that generates net benefits to the poor, and it should be economically, socially, environmentally, or culturally beneficial. Although PPT has the potential to benefit the poor, it is not clear how the different types of tourism impact the poor. The tourism industry is mainly driven by the private sector, particularly large international companies. Therefore, their interest in ensuring that poverty is alleviated between local communities is not guaranteed. Thus, with this view, PPT has been criticised for over-emphasising local initiatives. Similarly, the understanding of the poverty concept has been overtly debated. Hence, this chapter intends to explore the concept of PPT and its effect on poor communities.
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