Racism in Tourism

It has become apparent over the years that racism in tourism is still very much rife and that different minority groups are feeling the effects from stereotyping that can be found within the tourism industry. Racism is often defined as ‘a process by which individuals and groups stereotype members of another race on the basis of possessing inherent characteristics.’ (Airey, D. (2007). Racism within the tourism industry can be a variety of things ranging from stereotyping due to what a person looks like, to a discrimination of an individual’s religion or belief. Racism will have a negative effect on those who are being affected by it, and could result in them being prevented to visit particular countries. All aspects of the tourism industry will need to look into what can be changed which will then ensure that all tourists feel comfortable when travelling and visiting countries.

Stereotyping in tourism can be one aspect of racism that can be seen often in travelling and when on holiday, but is not prevented. Certain groups of people will have experienced this racism when visiting certain countries, which if not stopped with prevent them from re-visiting. It has been found that after the 9/11 attacks, the FBI reported that there had been a 1700% increase of hate crimes against Muslim Americans, mainly because of what they looked like and how this had links towards the terrorist attacks. (Khan, M. (2012). Many Muslim tourists at this time were noticing they were undergoing much stricter security checks, something that was not happening to their fellow holiday makers. Despite flight security having increased as a result of the terrorist attacks, it became clear that certain people were being singled out simply because of how they looked, or how they were being perceived.
International students can also be victim to racism. A survey studied those students who had come across verbal abuse from the ‘locals’ and how that ultimately made them feel about studying away from their home country. It was found that many cases were not being reported which meant that there were no consequences to those who were carrying out the racism. It was also noted that universities and other education institutions are not aware of the racism that takes place, so nothing is ever done about the prospect of racial abuse. (Brown, L. (2011).

It seems that racism in tourism has changed over the years amongst different minority groups. In the past it was people of African-Caribbean ethnicities that were the most affected by racism, but this has now shifted towards Middle Eastern people because of the increase of terrorism. Terrorist attacks can be part of the problem, and it has been noted that as a consequence, groups of people are being falsely connected to the terrorism and suffer from the negative attitudes towards them. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance has recognised a link between racism and the way in which Islamic people are treated. They state that “certain groups of persons…have become particularly vulnerable to racism…across many fields of public life including…freedom of movement.” (Scott, N. (2010).

Sensing a certain stigma against them will make certain tourists feel uncomfortable with visiting a particular country, which impacts a person’s access to tourism. After the 9/11 attacks, Muslims coming in and out of America are likely to have felt uncomfortable and it would have been quite condescending for them if they were picked out for extra security checks at the airport. Situations like these is likely to have affected their access to tourism as it is possible that they would not want to go through that position again.

Looking at the negativity that can be a result from racism, can potentially have a consequence on countries or certain destinations losing out on tourism figures, as large groups of people will not want to visit in risk of being a victim to racism. As well as reducing the access to tourism for minority groups that want to visit other countries, it could also have an impact on people wanting to visit the countries in which the minority groups originate from. Whilst many countries are wrongly portrayed or perceived to be linked to something as negative as terrorism, it would result in a reduction of tourism levels in the country, which would eventually have a negative impact on its economy.

Steps need to be taken in order to prevent further racism in the future. Education would be a key aspect of change. Teaching people about different religions and beliefs could be introduced to prevent tourists from having prejudged perceptions of others, before they actually know them. Getting people to understand about why certain religions include veils for example, would help to end the common misconceptions of these beliefs and help to put tourists at ease.

- Airey, D. (2007). Researching tourism experiences and challenges. In: Airey, D and Tribe, J. Developments in Tourism Research. London: Routledge. P172 – 175

- Khan, M. (2012). Attitudes Toward Muslim Americans Post-9/11. Journal of Muslim Mental Health. 7 (1), p5 - 6.

- Scott, N. (2010). Tourism and Islamophobia - Muslims in Non-Muslim States. In: Scott, N Tourism in the Muslim World. UK: Emerald Group Publishing. p238.

The topic and issues discussed in this paper were interesting and enlightening, prompting further exploration into the topic and as a result led to the production of this commentary. This paper was also of interest because similarly to the conference paper submitted by myself, it deals with the experiences of ethnic minorities in tourism, however, explores a different aspect which I desired to gain better knowledge in. This paper pays attention to the racial prejudice and discrimination experienced by ethnic minorities in tourism, whereas my paper concentrated on the social and economic impacts experienced by ethnic minorities and communities as a result of tourism.

Firstly, the author begins by drawing attention to the significant presence of racial discrimination and stereotyping within the tourism industry. A clear definition of racism is stated and the different characteristics which ethnic minorities are discriminated against, ranging from physical appearance to beliefs and religions are also stated. However, in support of the definition the author could have explored more in-depth reasons behind the functions of racism. For example, Stephenson (2007) suggests that the different categorisations related to racism are socially constructed and facilitated, based on the view that, naturally/ biologically some races are superior or inferior compared to others. Barker (1981) cited in Stephenson (2007) also states for racism to function, it has to be presumed that it is unnatural for different ethnicities and cultures to be part of the same community or as referred to by Barker as a ‘bounded community or nation’, p.172.

The author then moves on to address the stereotyping of ethnic minorities and the lack of prevention strategies implemented by the tourism industry. It could be argued that the tourism industry reinforces these stereotypes, especially at airports. This is supported by Rojek (1998) who suggests that border guards, passport officials, custom officers, tourists and host populations react in a prejudice and discriminatory manner to individuals that are seemingly vulnerable. A main example referred to in this paper is the prejudice and discrimination faced by the Muslim ethnic minorities in America, especially at airports as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and international students.

Stephenson (2006) states that these racial problems experienced by ethnic minorities, suggests that there is a sense of limitation in the individuals’ social and physical freedom to travel to places and spaces beyond their borders. In addition, the author states that the prejudice and discriminatory behaviour makes ethnic minorities feel uncomfortable which can result in a lower footfall of visitors in certain destinations. This also has a negative impact on the economy of the destination and tourism industry in general.

This paper was a great read and was well structured in terms of each paragraph discussing the different ways that racism affects ethnic minorities and the tourism industry. The author’s good use of examples aided in the understanding of the topic as well as the author’s conclusion which suggested that educating people on diverse cultures, beliefs and religions could be imperative in eliminating racial experiences of ethnic minorities in tourism. It is also important that the promotion of high levels of racial tolerance is addressed by countries and state authorities need to monitor and educate the behaviours of state ambassadors such as border guards and custom officers (Stephenson, 2006).

- Rojek, C. (1998), ‘Tourism and citizenship’, Cultural Policy, Vol.4, Issue 2, p. 291–310.
- Stephenson, M (2006), ‘Travel and the ‘Freedom of Movement’: Racialised Encounters and Experiences Amongst Ethnic Minority Tourists in the EU’, Mobilities. Vol. 1, Issue 2, p285-306

- Stepehson, M (2007), ‘Researching tourism experiences and challenges: the social-political implications of rural racism and tourism experiences’. In: Airey, D and Tribe, J (2007), ‘Developments in Tourism Research’. London: Routledge. p171-184

The reason for choosing this paper is due to the fact that it challenges modern issues within tourism. The title of the paper is appealing and it can be said that there isn't enough focus surrounding the issue of the paper.

The author primarily introduces the issue of the paper which is racism in tourism and how it is still rife in this modern day, providing information surrounding the issue, showing a thorough understanding of the topic that they have written about. The author then focuses on the issues of 9/11 and how ever since Muslims and Middle Eastern Europeans have been scrutinised and discriminated against based upon their looks and their culture. This is a valid point as there have been many incidents where Muslims in particular have been targeted at airports for the colour of their skin.

(Day, 2009) article is a prime example of racism tourism and specifically racism in airports; Officials ordered nine Muslim passengers, including three young children, off an AirTran flight headed to Orlando from Reagan National Airport yesterday afternoon after two other passengers overheard what they thought was a suspicious remark.

Members of the party, all but one of them U.S.-born citizens who were headed to a religious retreat in Florida, were subsequently cleared for travel by FBI agents who characterised the incident as a misunderstanding, an airport official said. But the passengers said AirTran refused to rebook them, and they had to pay for seats on another carrier secured with help from the FBI.

This interrogation was based upon a few passengers overhearing a conversation, the conversation may have been about any topic on the world, but because they were Muslim and only heard small amounts of the conversation that the family were having it makes them suspicious? There have been many cases like this ever since 9/11.

The authors throughout the paper talks about racism may make tourists not visit certain countries for fear of being targets by racists. A Moore of AtlantaBlackStar provided the world with a list of countries that black people shouldn't visitor or any other race that may be classifies as black e.g. Muslims is the eyes of the countries people. Russian is known for its racism and authorise aren't concerned enough to do anything about if, many ethnic minorities stick to the city of Moscow if they to decide to go to Russian out of fear of people attack if they venture out anywhere else. This is a prime example of tourists being scared to visit certain places. When in reality there shouldn't be an issue, who are those people to judge others purely because their skin colour isn't white.

Another point the author looks at is the 'random' searching of Muslims at airports and how after 9/11 there were many incidents were in particular Muslim men whether it be tourists or US residents travelling in and out the country men felt that they were bing targeted due to having a Muslim name or the colour of their skin. As the author states this may lead to Muslim tourism not wanting to travel my plane because the whole process of random searching was embarrassing and uncomfortable for them. This leads of to the point where the author talks about the economy of a country loosing money because tourists feel uncomfortable getting there or feel uncomfortable when they arrive due to being racially abused by the local people.

The sources used within the paper providing on point information and well explained example of how tourism can be effected by racism and how it is still rife even in 2013. The author concludes by offering recommendations that countries offer educational lessons of religion and culture to give people a better understanding of others in the hope to get people to understand that just because a person is of a certain religion does not make them a part of a terrorist group.


Day, D. (2009). Talking While Brown: A Look at Racism in U.S. Airports. Available: http://www.alternet.org/story/117047/talking_while_brown%3A_a_look_at_racism_in_u.s._airports. Last accessed 5 May 2014.