Decolonizing tourism | The duty

This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook

A hot topic in several spheres of activity, decolonization leads travelers to question their practices. What if we learned to see the world with different glasses?

When, in 2013, Senegal introduced visa reciprocity for foreign nationals whose states required it for Senegalese, the tourism industry fell into disarray, leading to its cancellation in 2015. For Jean-Baptiste Ndiaye, it It is clear that French tour operators, the majority in the country of Teranga, lobbied for the withdrawal of this measure. “It’s a typically colonial attitude,” says the man who teaches contemporary geopolitics and the history of relations between black Africa and the West at the University of the Third Age (UTA) of the University of Sherbrooke.

Of Senegalese origin, Mr. Ndiaye arrived in Quebec in 2008 after a seven-year stay in France. He has worked as a trainer within numerous Quebec organizations. “When a colonial relationship is established between two states, generally everything that follows is colored by this colonization,” he explains. If we take the sole example of international cooperation, most of the countries with which we decide to do so have one thing in common: colonization. Choosing a partner for international cooperation means first of all being part of a certain logic, I wouldn’t say domination, but more or less superiority. It’s considering yourself well enough to pretend you can help someone get through it. When we go tourism in this same country, the colonial relationship is not far away. »

For Luc Renaud, associate professor in the Department of Urban and Tourism Studies at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), this state of mind — even unconscious — translates into this desire to “feel rich” in developing countries. developing. “We reproduce power or social class relationships in these countries. Traveling to the South feels like moving up the hierarchy, he says. Going to the South to be served and handing out gifts gives a feeling of superiority. It is of course not always thought out and articulated in this way. »

Choosing a destination “because it needs tourists” is along the same lines, believes Mr. Ndiaye, also responsible for training and activities at Éduconnexion, a citizen education program. “For example, France is the most visited country in the world. But when we go tourism there, we do not follow the same reasoning that we will have an impact on the economy of France. When we travel to a country in the South, we do so with the aim of contributing something to the economy. If these countries had not undergone colonization or had been less exploited in the past, they would not need to rely so much on tourism. »

A story designed by and for Westerners

Invited to give a conference on the decolonization of tourism at the Purposeful Travel Summit in Banff last February, JoAnna Haugen recalls the Eurocentric or Western-centric perspective in which travel is rooted. “The way the tourism industry has developed has created this narrative and these products, services and experiences that allow visitors to experience the act of travel in a very simplified, luxurious and beautiful way. Their understanding of reality is very different from that of the people who live in the places they visit, explains the journalist and founder of the Rooted platform. They can, for example, enjoy magnificent swimming pools in places that lack water. They may engage in activities that are supposed to provide authentic experiences, but which have largely been shaped by what foreigners or travelers themselves expect from authenticity. »

She denounces the gentrification which results from certain tourist activities, but also the insufficient investment in communities. “A lot of the money is leaving the country. He does not remain among the local population. »

Deconstruct our biases

Mr. Ndiaye considers it necessary to change the way we look at different cultures. “If you travel to Germany, you may not have the same reflex as if you go sightseeing in Senegal. Because the relationship between Canada and Germany is more or less one of equality. Which is not the case with Senegal, since the country underwent colonization. Our choices are always colored by the hints of colonization. It’s very unconscious. We generally perpetuate these remnants of colonization in our associations or what we decide to see. But it can also be through the discourse we have with people or the way we look at the country. »

According to him, stereotypes linked to colonization are still legion. “They say that these are poorly organized, corrupt countries, that people don’t work hard enough there, and so on. […] We must remember that the structural poverty observed is most often the fruit of colonial exploitation. Taking another look at these populations is already a step. Then there are the behaviors we have with the locals. How and what do we talk to them about? Constantly comparing everything with Canada indicates that we are still in a colonialist attitude. »

What to do ?

Ensuring that money spent at the destination is reinvested in the community should be a reflex, believes JoAnna Haugen. “As a traveler who spends, who moves through a space and who has an impact, whether negative or positive, you vote with your money. So you have the right to ask, honestly, who is in your supply chain, where the food comes from, what is the name of the farm where products come from. Businesses should know all this. And if they’re avoiding those questions or they’re not willing to answer them, that’s a huge red flag. »

Whether positive or negative, the impact of tourism is indeed real. Mme Haugen believes it is essential to pay more attention to the context of the activities we choose. “Tourism is deeply rooted in every place where it exists. So we absolutely have to recognize that this is not an isolated phenomenon. And we need to stop letting travelers treat it as such. »

This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.

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