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Ethnic tourism in Lao PDR: gendered divisions of labour in community-based tourism for poverty reduction

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  • Saithong Phommavong
  • Erika Sörensson

Abstract

A simultaneous analysis of gender and ethnicity provides a fuller understanding of how tourism initiatives benefit marginalised groups in developing countries. In this article, the gendered division of labour is analysed as a way to understand the micro-politics of ethnic tourism production aiming at poverty reduction in Laos. The aim is to demonstrate how constructions of gender and ethnicity impact on women's possibilities to benefit from community-based pro-poor tourism initiatives. Socially constructed notions of gendered behaviour influence divisions of tourism labour in specific spatialities, which we argue is crucial knowledge in the implementation of tourism projects aiming at poverty reduction. The assumption that ‘the poor’ constitute a homogenous group might hide an uneven distribution of tourism benefits in local communities. By focusing on factors which marginalise women, the article demonstrates inequalities between men and women in the division of tourism work. A village in northern Laos is used as a case study to examine aspects impacting on gendered divisions of labour in community-based tourism in Laos. Two examples, the Akha people's belief in and worship of spirits, and provision of massage, are used to illuminate reasons behind gendered imbalances in more detail.

Suggested Citation

  • Saithong Phommavong & Erika Sörensson, 2014. "Ethnic tourism in Lao PDR: gendered divisions of labour in community-based tourism for poverty reduction," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 350-362, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:rcitxx:v:17:y:2014:i:4:p:350-362
    DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2012.721758
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    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Yueyue & Bai, Hengrui, 2023. "The impact and regional heterogeneity analysis of tourism development on urban-rural income gap," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1539-1548.
    2. Murthi, Srinivash & Zhang, Wen & Shaturaev, Jakhongir, 2023. "Role of Tourism in Ensuring Gender Equity: An Asian Perspective," MPRA Paper 118486, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 15 Jun 2023.
    3. Anil Bolukoglu & Tugce Gozukucuk, 2024. "Tourism development and women employment: A study on the European union countries," Tourism Economics, , vol. 30(2), pages 442-456, March.

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