Destination Slum

The international conference on slum tourism that was held in Bristol from 9-11 December was a great success. Delegates from 6 continents discussed a wide variety of subjects dealing with tourism in slums around the world.

The conference started with an interesting and entertaining discussion of tourism in the favelas by keynote speaker Bianca Freire Medeiros. Following this,  24 other presentations were given that sparked off great discussions not only directly following the presentation, but also during coffee breaks and the evening programme.

To all that came, thank you very much for your input. Let’s hope we can follow up on the momentum of this conference to increase research and insights regarding slum tourism so that a follow up conference can be organised soon! In the meantime the RC21 conference in Amsterdam may be a next meeting point for those doing research on tourism in slum areas.

If you also know of a potentially interesting conference, please post it on the slumtourism.net website, use the contact form or via e-mail: conference@slumtourism.net.

Final programme Destination Slum! Online

The final programme for Destination Slum has been put online and can be downloaded here (pdf – 1 mb).

This programme contains not only times and locations and transport links, but also includes all abstracts of the presentations that will be presented. Happy reading!

If you have submitted an abstract to “Destination Slum”, please be aware that the guide for authors has been put online. It caontains all the information papers need to comply with. You can download the guidelines through the pdf-file that is linked below:

You can download the guidelines by clicking on this link (pdf, 91 kb)

Can we kindly request that you pay strict attention to these guidelines when writing your final paper. It is particularly important for us that all authors adhere to one style due to the possibility of being published at a later date.

Please remember that the deadline for papers is 15 November 2010!

Destinationa Slum is shaping up to be a very exciting event. We have received well over 20 proposals for papers of excellent quality and the full programme of the conference will be on this website soon.

Although the deadline for the call for papers has now passed, it is still possible to attend the conference without presenting. To secure your place simply register yourself here and pay your fee here (fees are paid through the University of the West of England). The cost of attendance is £ 50.00 for graduate students or independent researchers without full employment and £ 100.00 for full academic researchers and researchers in full employment.

Also, a reminder to authors who have sent in an abstract, the deadline to send in full papers is 15 November.

If you are working on the subject of tourism in impoverished urban areas, join the Slumtourism.net network for academics  and professionals. Bringing together and sharing experiences of people working on tourism in these areas on different continents, makes it possible to learn and create new knowledge.

Joining is very easy. Simply go do slumtourism.net or go directly to the ‘sign up page‘.

Links related to the conference:

http://www.slumtourism.net : network for academics and professionals active on tourism in impoverished areas

http://www.uwe.ac.uk : University of the West of England

http://sites.google.com/site/tourismcontactculture/events/slumconf: Tourism-Contact-Culture Network

International Conference, Bristol Business School, Bristol, United Kingdom

9-11th December 2010

Destination Slum: The production and consumption of poverty in travel and tourism

Slums (that includes favelas, townships and other notations as well) have long enticed popular imagination. They have been scandalised and fought, bulldozed down and walled in. Equally however they were idealised and sought out as places displaying a more authentic humanity, flourishing culture and deviant, but inventive entrepreneurship. Not just the recent fascination with films like “City of God” and “Slum Dog Millionaire” shows that these desires have all but vanished. Indeed in today’s ‘planet of slums’, slum-tourism flourishes. Concurrently the concept of slum tourism is problematised in a growing body of research that addresses this controversial past time. Paramount in reflections of slum tourism are ethical concerns and potential benefits: Is slum tourism voyeuristic and immoral? How are guided tours organized or composed? What is and why is it shown? To what extent can it provide an income and positive visibility for people in deprived areas? What motivations and expectations did and do people have to visit slums? Why and to what extend are slum tours considered to be ‘authentic’ forms of holidays? Which stakeholders are involved in slum tourism and who profits most? How does today’s slum-tourism relate to its historic predecessors and to the legacy of colonialism? What are the geographical scopes of slum-tourism and which place does it occupy in the new mobility system? Where does slum tourism fit in a globalised world of tourist consumption? What is the relationship between slum tourism and issues of migration, democracy and (in)equality?

An increasing number of scholars are working on these issues on different continents. This conference aims to bring together researchers of slum and poverty tourism in urban areas, in order to stimulate an exchange of experiences and contacts. Working towards the formation of an international network of researchers the conference will also aim to be stepping stone for further co-operations and projects on the subject.

Keynote speaker: Dr. Bianca Freire-Medeiros, author of Touring Poverty (Routledge, 2011).

We are calling for propositions to present papers and their research on slum tourism addressing:

• The histories of slum tourism: differences between earlier forms of slum tourism and the ones we witness today
• Slums and their populations as tourist attractions
• Slum tourism and the ‘search for authenticity’
• The commodification of poverty.
• Representations of the slum beyond tourism: photography, film, and literature
• Favela Chic: the mobile imaginary of the slum in popular culture
• The geographies of slum tourism.
• Slum Tourism and the New Mobilities Paradigm
• Voluntourism’s relation to slum tourism
• Slum-Tourism in Disaster Zones
• Slum-Tourism as Dark Tourism
• Slum tourism as pro-poor tourism
• Entrepreneurship and small business involvement in slum tourism
• The business ethics of slum tourism
• Theoretical, methodological and ethical issues in Slum Tourism Research.

Researchers from across all disciplines are invited to submit paper proposals. They should include the title of the paper, a short abstract (max. 300 words), institutional affiliation and contact information.

The conference will take place at the University of the West of England in Bristol, UK. The fees for the 3-day event are 100 Pound Sterling (50 Pound for Graduate Students), covering conference materials, refreshments, lunch and two dinners.

Proposals should be send before September 1, 2010 to Dr. Fabian Frenzel (fabian.frenzel@uwe.ac.uk). Accepted presentations are invited to submit full papers by 15^th November 2010 to be considered for publication in a special issue of an international journal (Negotiations are under way). We look forward to hearing from you.

Organising committee:

Dr. Fabian Frenzel, Bristol Business School, University of the West of England, Bristol

Ko Koens, ICRT (International Centre for Responsible Tourism), Leeds Metropolitan University

Professor Manfred Rolfes, Department of Geography, University of Potsdam

Dr. Malte Steinbrink, IMIS (Institute for Migration Research and

Intercultural Studies), University of Osnabrueck.

What is Destination Slum?

Destination Slum! is a conference regarding tourism in deprived urban areas, often referred to as ‘slums’, ‘townships’, ‘favelas’ or other notations.

When will Destination Slum take place?

Destination Slum! is set to take place from Thursday 9 December until Saturday 11 December. The final programme and abstracts of presentations can be downloaded here (pdf – 1 mb).

What are the costs?
The fees for the 3-day event are 100 Pound Sterling (50 Pound for Graduate Students), covering conference materials, refreshments, lunch and two dinners.

Can I still register?

Unfortunately it is not possible to register anymore.

Is there already a programme for the conference?

The programme and abstracts of presentations presented at Destination slum! can be downloaded by clicking on this link.

Where will Destination Slum take place and how do I get there?

Destination Slum will take place at the University of the West of England in Bristol, UK.

All practical information you may need regarding getting to Bristol and travelling in around the city can be found on the website of VisitBristol.

Once in Bristol, how do I get to Destination Slum?

The conference takes place at the Univeristy of the West of England, Frenchay Campus, Coldhabour Lane, Bristol, BS16 1QY (See the map below).
View Larger Map

However both conference dinners will take place in the city centre and we would recommend staying there. The Univeristy runs a frequent and cheap bus service from the city centre to Frenchay Campus. Information on the bus service is found here.

Where can I best stay when visiting the conference

We recommend you stay in Bristol city centre, since the conference venue can be easily reached by frequent and cheap busses and the conference dinners will take place in the city centre.

Bristol city council has a useful list of accomendation options for all budgets. Go to their website by clicking on this link

Alternatively, try websites like couchsurfing.com or travbuddy.com.

I have had my abstract accepted, when do I need to send it the full paper?

The deadline to send in full papers is 15 November.

Are there any guidelines for the full papers?

Yes there are, a guide for authors has been put online. It contains all the information papers need to comply with. You can download the guidelines through the pdf-file that is linked below:

You can download the guidelines by clicking on this link (pdf, 91 kb)

Can we kindly request that you pay strict attention to these guidelines when writing your final paper. It is particularly important for us that all authors adhere to one style due to the possibility of being published at a later date.