Pro-Poor Tourism: Critical Perspective and Implications for Future Research

Tourism is viewed as a medium to reduce poverty. The pro-poor tourism (PPT) approach has therefore emerged as the medium for tourism development to influence poverty reduction. The approach stresses on tourism development in ways to accrue net benefits to the poor through diverse strategies including those that generate employment opportunities, infrastructural development, and skills enhancement of locals in entrepreneurial activities. Also stressed is the inclusion of the poor in tourism decision making. While the pro-poor tourism approach has gained scholarly attention, much of these studies turned to assessed PPT impacts on poverty reduction in communities with limited discussion on products development. Yet, product development is considered to be the means by which tourism can contribute to local economic development and by extension, poverty reduction. This paper examines the PPT concept and argues for PPT works to examine how products are develop to influence poverty reduction with recommendations of making PPT work for the poor. This follows with implications for further research works on PPT and its development.