Ko Koens - Slum tourism, ethics and local economic development
8,448
Published 2018-10-15
Ko Koens: Slum tourism, ethics and local economic development
The importance of urban tourism as an economic activity has strongly risen in recent years. Not only have urban tourist numbers increased, but tourists also increasingly venture out in new parts of cities. This ‘off the beaten track’ tourism offers opportunities for local economic development, particularly in economically impoverished areas. However, it can also cause disturbance and create conflicts between different groups of residents, visitors and industry actors. In this lecture the ethical debate regarding the place of tourism in modern cities is framed using a facilitated bottom-up sustainable city governance perspective to balance the interests of different city actors.
The Global Urban Lectures are 15-minute lectures on themes related to sustainable urbanisation, delivered by renowned experts, UN-Habitat partners and UN-Habitat staff. The lectures have been ranked among the best MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) on cities.
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat) is the United Nations agency working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.
In Slummibus - Heidelberg University Library, Bild-ID HeidIcon 483777" - CC-BY-SA 3.0
Slumming in this town - New York Times, 14 September 1884
Global Slum Tourism - Ko Koens
Slum tourism: State of the art - Frenzel, F., Koens, K., Steinbrink, M., & Rogerson, C. M. (2015). Slum Tourism: State of the Art. Tourism Review International, 18(4), 237–252.
Mumbai Slum - Shutterstock
Cape Town neighbourhood - Ko Koens
Favela in Rio de Janeiro - Shutterstock
Tour in Kibera, Kenya - Ko Koens
Virgin Holidays tourism awards - Responsible Travel
Tourist in Rio de Janeiro - Shutterstock