History of Tourism in Africa: Exoticization, Exploitation, and Enrichment

Foreign tourists and resident tourism workers in Africa have mutually relied on notions of exoticism, but from vastly different perspectives. Skilled African artists manufacture "authentic" experiences to fulfill foreigners' expectations, reinforcing reductive impressions and reinforcing stereotypes. Africans also stage performances that impact their own lives and subject residents to objectification, exoticization, and exploitation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 23 February 2021
Publisher: Ohio University Press

Since the nineteenth century, foreign tourists and resident tourism workers in Africa have mutually relied upon notions of exoticism, but from vastly different perspectives. Numerous tourists who have traveled to the African continent fail to acknowledge or even realize that skilled African artists in the tourist industry repeatedly manufacture "authentic" experiences in order to fulfill foreigners often delusional, or at least uninformed, expectations. These carefully nurtured and controlled performances typically reinforce tourists reductive impressions—formed over centuries—of the continent, its peoples, and even its wildlife. In turn, once back in their respective homelands, tourists accounts of their travels often substantiate, and thereby reinforce, prevailing stereotypes of "exotic" Africa. Meanwhile, Africans staged performances not only impact their own lives, primarily by generating remunerative opportunities, but also subject the continents residents to objectification, exoticization, and myriad forms of exploitation.

Since the nineteenth century, foreign tourists and resident tourism workers in Africa have mutually relied upon notions of exoticism, but from vastly different perspectives. Numerous tourists who have traveled to the African continent fail to acknowledge or even realize that skilled African artists in the tourist industry repeatedly manufacture "authentic" experiences in order to fulfill foreigners often delusional, or at least uninformed, expectations. These carefully nurtured and controlled performances typically reinforce tourists reductive impressions—formed over centuries—of the continent, its peoples, and even its wildlife. In turn, once back in their respective homelands, tourists accounts of their travels often substantiate, and thereby reinforce, prevailing stereotypes of "exotic" Africa. Meanwhile, Africans staged performances not only impact their own lives, primarily by generating remunerative opportunities, but also subject the continents residents to objectification, exoticization, and myriad forms of exploitation.

Weight: 332g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780821424339