Exploring the relationship between tourism and poverty using the capability approach

Abstract

Tourism has been regarded as a tool for development and poverty alleviation over many decades. Yet tourism research on poverty to date largely focuses on the income-based poverty analysis and does not fully consider the multidimensional nature of poverty or the views of poor people. Applying the capability approach, this paper examines the opportunities provided by tourism development and their contribution to achieving well-being from the perspectives of people living in poverty. The study was undertaken in a small coastal tourist destination in the Northeast of Brazil using a mixed-methods approach that combined quantitative value chain analysis and qualitative interviews with photo-elicitation. The findings show that participants value opportunities associated with both monetary and non-monetary tourism resources and these opportunities help them achieve diverse aspects of well-being. This study demonstrates how the capability approach can help investigate the impacts of tourism development on poverty reduction and well-being of poor people in a more holistic and nuanced way by considering the plural and relative nature of poverty and well-being.

Keywords:

• Tourism development
• poverty reduction
• capability approach
• well-being
• mixed-methods
• Brazil

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Theres Winter

Theres Winter completed her Ph.D. in 2018 and is Research Associate at the University for Sustainable Development in Eberswalde, Germany and Associate Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. She researches on tourism, poverty and inequality, and visual methodologies.

Seonyoung Kim

Seonyoung Kim is a Principal Lecturer and Tourism Subject Group Leader at Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University, UK, where she was awarded her doctorate in tourism. She has research interests in tourism governance, tourism policy and planning, and urban tourism.