Examining 'toxic tourism' as a new form of alternative urban tourism and environmental justice The case of the South Durban Industrial Basin, South Africa

Abstract

The concept of tourism and tourism destinations has evolved over the decades, expanding from more natural environments in rural areas to include additional ‘manufactured’ attributes to attract tourists. The classical tourism destination needed to meet certain criteria, such as having (natural) tourist attractions and accommodations with a degree of market attractiveness. This chapter examines toxic tours as a tool to address environmental injustices created by capitalist political economies in the South Durban Industrial Basin, South Africa, and their potential to serve as a platform to address urban risks. It explores the potential for toxic tourism to serve as an alternative form of tourism not only to highlight urban industrial risk issues, but also to serve as a new tourism product offering for other tourism sites experiencing environmental degradation, such as township tourism environments. Toxic tourism, thus, represents an interpretive lens for analysis, linking environmental justice with tourism.