Essay On Slum Tourism In Kenya

Introduction
Tourism has become one of the biggest industries in the world in a short timeframe, even more so exploiting the poorest areas in the world. This can be linked to the fact that tourism thrives on things that are different and unusual as this intrigues possible tourists to embark on such tour. The term slum tourism can be defined as attracting tourists to previously disadvantaged or impoverished areas in aim of either generating income to improve the condition of the area or to promote the heritage and culture of the slum. In South Africa a more general term will be township tours. These areas are usually heavily populated informal settlements, although they differ from country to country most lack sanitation services, clean water and basic services such as law enforcement.
Slum tours have said to be originated as private tours in the 18th century in Europe as they went under the pretenses of charity with a police escorts to look at the living conditions. As this gained popularity it was termed slumming. British tourists eager to compare their slums to those of others and America was transplanted with the idea. By

Kibera is the biggest slum in East Africa and has seen positive response from tourists as they are intrigued to see this, it reminds them that poor people do exist and that poverty is a reality. African countries have long been colonized by European and Dutch settlers and somewhat a racial stir is embedded into the locals ,they don’t approve of tourists coming to the slums as they feel they are looked down upon .The local population of Kibera does not benefit from these tours as much , the tourists usually only come to take a few pictures and leave , they have no interest in the pubs or goods on sale , they are much more intrigued to take a photo of a boy sitting in the rubbish, as stated