S.F. decides to cash in on poverty tourism
You’ve got the township tours in South Africa and favela tours in Rio de Janeiro. Tourists go on these poverty safaris for a little excitement, the opportunity to see the culture behind the newspaper headlines, and a chance to photograph some authentic poor people to show their friends back home. But how about some first-world poverty? San Francisco, already endowed with some of the world’s most famous attractions and just up the road from the heartland of venture-capital billionaires, has decided to try a little poverty tourism itself. With the support of the mayor, they want to add the Uptown Tenderloin area to the tourist menu. Sure there’s the historical aspect, like “the world’s largest collection of historic single-room occupancy hotels,” but to experience the region during the day (and they mean “DAY” — even the local supporters don’t recommend you don’t visit after dark) is to get a first-hand look at 30,000 people living in 60 blocks with widespread drug use and drunks passed out on the street. Or as the tourist board looks at it, turning passed out lemons into lemonade.
(4 votes, average: 6.50 out of 10)
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