The myth of African American under-representation in nature tourism

Abstract

Although nature-based recreation areas are among the most popular tourism destinations in the U.S., African Americans are far less likely to visit them compared to White Americans. This paper offers a critical analysis of the phenomenon often labeled Black under-participation or under-representation (BUPR) in nature tourism. First, I use the concept of the White racial frame to unpack the White centrism and normalism embedded in the notion of BUPR and explain how it erases Black Americans’ historical relationship with nature while concealing centuries of Black exclusion in great outdoors. Second, I use the notion of the White-Savior Industry Complex to critique diversity initiatives of public park and tourism agencies, namely lack of strong sense of ownership in their historical Black exclusion. Finally, I make three recommendations for rectifying the enduring racial oppression in nature tourism.

Keywords:

• Racism
• outdoor recreation
• White-Savior Industry Complex
• environmental justice

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Dr. Myron Floyd for his insightful comments on the earlier draft of this manuscript and three anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no affiliation with any organization with a direct or indirect financial interest in the subject matter discussed in the manuscript.

Notes

1 A notable exception is a study from Taylor et al. (2011). By analyzing two nationwide survey data collected in 2000 and 2008-9, the authors concluded that non-Hispanic Whites were “over-represented” among the visitors of National Park Service units in both survey years (p. 10).

2 While this article focuses on the case of Black Americans and racial issues for the special issue, it is worth noting that the early nature tourism activities in the U.S. as well as the American conservation movement during the 19th century, which gave rise to many nature tourism destinations such as national parks and forests, intersect with elitist, classist, and sexist tendencies of wealthy and influential White conservation leaders. For more information, please see Jacoby (2014), Powell (2016), and Taylor (2016).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

KangJae Jerry Lee

Dr. KangJae “Jerry” Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management at North Carolina State University. His research interests include 1) social and environmental justice issues in public park, outdoor recreation, and tourism and 2) the relationship between leisure and subjective well-being.