Tourism and poverty alleviation: perceptions and experiences of poor people in Sapa, Vietnam

Abstract

This paper examines the perceptions and experiences of poor people in Sapa, Vietnam, regarding tourism as a means of poverty alleviation. Participant observations and semi-structured interviews were conducted with local people and key informants. The paper indicates that local people perceive poverty as a lack of rice and/or income and attribute it to both internal and external causes. The local tourism sector has primarily benefited the non-poor and tour operators, resulting in conflicts of interest among community members. However, more local people consider tourism a contributor to poverty alleviation than those who do not. All interviewees wish to become homestay owners or tourist guides. The most important barrier to the former is the lack of capital, while foreign language proficiency is the main hindrance to the latter. It is concluded that while an appropriate approach is required to involve local people in tourism, alternative livelihoods other than tourism are also needed. The study suggests that poor people's interpretation of poverty may be substantially different from that of academics and policy-makers. It argues that by valuing the perspectives of those experiencing poverty we can establish more meaningful approaches to alleviating poverty through tourism that are more likely to succeed.

旅游和脱贫：越南沙巴穷人的看法和经历

该文章检验了越南沙巴穷人关于旅游时一种脱贫方式的看法和经历。研究进行了对当地 人民和关键知情人的参与观察和半结构采访。文章指出当地人民认为贫穷是缺少米粮和 或收入，并认为这是由内在和外在的原因引起的。当地的旅游业主要为非贫穷和旅游运营商带来好处，导致社区成员之间兴趣的冲突。但是，更多当地人民认为旅游时对脱贫的一种贡献。所有的被采访者希望成为住家旅馆的拥有者或者是导游。对前者最重要的障碍是缺少资金，而外语流利是对后者的障碍。文章总结在一个能将当地人民包含在旅游中的合适的方法被需要时，旅游之外的其他生机方式也是需要的。研究建议穷人对贫穷的解释可能对从学术和政策制定者角度来说是非常不同的。文章解释通过对着写经历贫穷的人们对贫穷看法的理解，我们能建立更有意义的方法来通过旅游脱贫并更有可能成功。

Keywords:

• pro-poor tourism
• poverty reduction
• gender
• hunger
• barefoot economics

关键词:

• 脱贫旅游
• 贫困减低
• 性别
• 饥饿
• 赤脚经济学

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the three anonymous reviewers and the journal editors for valuable comments and suggestions on earlier drafts of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

V. Dao Truong

V. Dao Truong is a lecturer in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality, National Economics University, Hanoi, Vietnam, and he is a PhD candidate in the Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

C. Michael Hall

C. Michael Hall is a professor of Marketing in the Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Tony Garry

Tony Garry is a senior lecturer in Marketing in the Department of Marketing, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.