Nearly 20 years ago, a series of events led David, a London resident, to
become a “hidden homeless” — a person living with others temporarily, without a
permanent home. Today, he introduces travelers to the lesser-known spots around
London Bridge while weaving in stories about the area’s history of poverty,
social exclusion and homelessness as a guide with Unseen
Tours.
These issues aren’t the first thing to come to mind when people think about
London; but Unseen Tours is not your typical travel company. A not-for-profit
social enterprise, Unseen Tours offers walking tours and experiences curated and
led by people affected by homelessness.
The organization is not part of the poverty tourism agenda; rather, its tours
surface unheard perspectives that haven’t been part of London’s tourism
narrative in the past.
“We see that people who have experienced homelessness in a city know the city
better than most people would,” said Jayni
Gudka, CEO of Unseen Tours. “They know
the hidden stories, the quirky facts, and things you'd never find in a
guidebook.”
David agreed: “My tourist customers have said they enjoy the less popular tours
that are not the usual thing, where the tour guide is more personal.”
As travelers increasingly seek out unique, place-based experiences; tours like
these deliver. “People are more interested in real, authentic stories of a place
— moving away from the sanitized tours that only touch the surface of a
destination,” Gudka said.
Historically, tourism has allowed — and even encouraged — people to travel while
remaining blissfully unaware of the “real-world” challenges impacting their
chosen destinations. Additionally, the overriding tourism narrative has silenced
and excluded historically marginalized communities that either didn’t fit the
ideal vision of tourism and/or made travelers feel uncomfortable.
However, that thinking is beginning to change with the collision of the climate
crisis,
overtourism,
an interest in “authentic” experiences, and a realization within the tourism
industry that drastic change is needed for it to survive and
thrive.
Now, instead of shielding tourists from the “messy” parts of destinations, more
travel-focused social enterprises and organizations are stepping into the
spotlight to introduce tourists to their complex fabric.
This has a myriad of knock-on positive impacts: Far from being “saviorism”
activities, these experiences are focused on local residents’ overall
wellbeing
by offering technical training, meaningful careers, and financial support —
which is infused back into their communities. People who haven’t been seen or
heard in the past are given agency and a chance to share their own stories. For
destinations heaving under the weight of overtourism, these experiences offer a
solution for dispersing visitors beyond the popular
hotspots.
And local, people-focused
initiatives
like these demonstrate how tourism can avoid centering travelers while
supporting marginalized communities that have been excluded from tourism in the
past.
“There are several reasons for partnering and supporting local organizations
from marginalized populations. For starters, they are the ones who need it the
most,” said Tricia Schers, director
of partnerships and development at Planeterra — a
non-profit organization that works with community partners to support local
tourism initiatives around the world. Examples include Pink City Rickshaw
Co. — which offers tours of Jaipur,
India aboard rickshaws driven by women from low-income households; and
Oodles of Noodles — a tour and
training kitchen powered by STREETS
International that provides practical,
skills-based and hospitality-specific training for at-risk youth in Vietnam.
Other examples around the world include UK-based
Migrateful — which offers training for and
cooking classes taught by migrants, refugees and asylum seekers; Get Up and Go
Colombia — which offers several tours and is
invested in several projects supporting communities most affected by the
Colombian armed conflict; and Nai Nami — which offers
storytelling tours of Nairobi led by former street children.
“Over the years, we have seen how working in tourism has motivated women to
start their first jobs outside the home, take on leadership roles in their
communities, allowed their children to access education, or helped youth gain
skills to help them find long-term employment,” Schers said. “Our community
partners are also using tourism to power their futures by investing in
infrastructure and initiatives to take care of the environment, health and
education for their community, among others.”
By utilizing services and booking experiences run by marginalized communities,
travelers in turn support the holistic care of the places they visit. For
example, at Barcelona’s INOUT Hostel, 90
percent of the staff is made up of people with disabilities.
“This is an example of the inclusion of people with disabilities in the tourism
sector, and proof that a special work center of these characteristics can be
successful and compete with companies in the sector on equal terms,” said
Izaskun Quilez Arsuaga, INOUT
Hostel’s technical manager. The hostel is part of Icaria Social
Initiatives — a non-profit organization with a mission
focused on the social and professional inclusion of people with disabilities.
Tourism revenue at the property goes toward staff pay, training and benefits;
but also care for Collserola Nature
Park,
where the hostel is located: “We love working here, surrounded by nature,”
Arsuaga added. “Therefore, the entire team is very aware of the park’s
cleanliness and fire protection. All of this is what we try to convey to the
travelers who stay with us.”
While tourism is increasingly being used as a vehicle to support social
initiatives, Gudka pointed out it is essential that people who have been
excluded from these spaces in the past aren’t now exploited as travelers seek
out local experiences.
“For this reason, I think it's of utmost importance for marginalized communities
to be involved in, if not leading, decision-making about tourism — or indeed,
any other initiatives — that seeks to support and/or present them,” she said.
At Unseen Tours, for example, guides receive training that allows them to create
tours around their own experiences and interests — giving them full ownership of
their tours.
The tourism industry has long touted its potential to be a “force for good.”
When it is used as a tool to amplify previously unheard voices, encourage
thoughtful engagement in the places people visit, and support communities beyond
tourism-facing businesses, that reality is closer to being realized.
“Our development approach is focused on the tourism sector; however, tourism is
only the means to an end. Therefore, we encourage our community partners to
follow the path that benefits them the most,” Schers said. “People are always
going to be traveling. Let’s at the very least help communities benefit from
this. Because, in our experience, we’ve seen firsthand that when you support
communities — they take those earnings and reinvest them back into their
neighborhoods; which helps improve the lives of many, instead of just a few.”
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JoAnna Haugen is a writer, speaker and solutions advocate who has worked in the travel and tourism industry for her entire career. She is also the founder of Rooted — a solutions platform at the intersection of sustainable tourism, social impact and storytelling. A returned US Peace Corps volunteer, international election observer and intrepid traveler, JoAnna helps tourism professionals decolonize travel and support sustainability using strategic communication skills.
Published Aug 21, 2023 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST