Abstract
Although the effect of slum tourism on slums or informal areas is controversial, it proved to bring several benefits to the destination areas. In our increasingly globalized world, it is possible to benefit from intercultural networks through slum tourism to bring about economic, social, and urban development benefits for these areas. Taking Cairo as our prime case study, the particularities of selected existing slum areas are assessed in order to highlight possibilities of context based strategies to develop slums through tourism. The methodology used presents two initiatives of slum tourism: the Solar Cities’ initiative in Cairo, a small-scale manifestation of slum tourism that is particularly linked to eco-tourism, and the case of Mazatlán garbage tours in Mexico. A comparative analysis is conducted to draw out lessons from their particular strategies in order to extract a set of recommendations that could catalyse the urban development of Cairo’s informal areas (Ashwa’yat) through slum tourism. The consequences of such approach are then demonstrated: internal self- development and external positive image of the toured slum. To conclude, developmental slum tourism strategies could provide slum areas with a much needed kick start, and a short term achievable success that enhances future urban development and integration to the city.
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Notes
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Non-financial effect can be immediate uplift in livelihood assets or long term changes in the growth of micro-economies
- 2.
al-Gamaliya is an old area near khan alkhalili which is one of the main touristic districts in Cairo.
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Hendawy, M., Madi, B. (2016). Slum Tourism: A Catalyst for Urban Development? Reflections from Cairo’s Ashwa’iyat (Informal Areas). In: Attia, S., Shabka, S., Shafik, Z., Ibrahim, A. (eds) Dynamics and Resilience of Informal Areas. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29948-8_4
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