People-First Tourism Lab Blog

During late May 2016 members of P1t Lab South Africa (based at University of Johannesburg ) and P1t Lab North Carolina spent time doing research in the Bushbuckridge area close to the Orpen Gate of the Kruger National Park (aka Kruger area).   Kruger is one of South Africa’s main tourist attractions that offers visitors the opportunity to view the iconic Big Five (Rhino, Lion, Leopard, Buffalo and Elephant).   However, Kruger is a highly contested space.   After the change from the apartheid regime to a democratic government in 1994, the park has faced a number of challenges from moving from fortress style conservation style management to more democratic and inclusive management practices.   Of late, draconian fortress management is systematically returning.   This has been largely due to the dramatic rise of poaching of Rhino for use of its horn for its supposed health benefits in Southeast Asia.   In response, individuals, private and public...

As has been aptly explained before, poverty and development policy are global phenomena, tourism retail channels and supply chains bridge the global North and the global South, and environmental degradation is caused by complex human, ecological and technological conditions.   Accordingly, P1t scholarship transcends disciplinary silos and national borders, and in doing so, it strives to produce impactful research-based solutions for tourism’s persistent failure to engender equitable and sustainable development.    This month, we are working in Johannesburg, engaging local students and colleagues from various disciplines in the University of Johannesburg in discussions about tourism and equitable development.   We are inviting scrutiny of P1t scholarship and methodologies, and we are exploring first-hand new local manifestations of tourism microentrepreneurship.   More, we are probing the connections between our P1t scholarship and possibly ...

Throughout my Fall 2015 semester I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the Tourism Poverty and Health class at NC State.   From meeting local microentrepreneurs in nearby communities to the in-depth discussions in class, I learned more from this class than from many others.   The material covered in this class had very important takeaways that not only provoked me to rethink much of my earlier knowledge, but also made me want to be an agent for change. The class started with an introduction to the different types of tourism and the traits, good or bad, that went along with them.   Mass tourism continues to boom due to the ease of planning, low costs and lack of public knowledge about the detrimental effects it generates in destination communities. Next we were introduced to People-First Tourism to show that tourism can be sustainable, benefit the local economy and utilize local microentrepreneurs to provide fun, genuine, and enriching experiences to tourists [...