Cultural Immersion Versus Appropriation
Photo Credit: There's a fine line between cultural immersion and appropriation. Pixabay / Syed Hasan Mehdi
Skift Take
It's a difficult topic for the travel industry to discuss, especially as experiences get more immersive. But just because it can be uncomfortable doesn't mean we should shy away from confronting it and calling out bad behavior.
Luxury Travel News
The Skift New Luxury column is our weekly column focused on the business of selling luxury travel, the people and companies creating and selling experiences, emerging trends, and the changing consumer habits around the sector.
With so much of tourism now about the experience, questions over cultural appropriation and exploitation are no doubt going to increase.
This is perhaps truest in the luxury sector where money-is-no-object travelers are willing to pay more to do things that ordinary consumers can't afford.
It's a subject companies from North America and Europe have dodged for some time and it needs addressing as there's often a fine line between educating guests and exploiting locals. Just look at the controversial issue of slum tourism.
Of course some businesses do a better job than others
