Resource Center

This study examines the global scope of tourism-related grabbing of land and other natural resources and its diverse expressions and mechanisms, for instance by enclosing territories, evicting communities, extracting natural resources and erasing livelihood opportunities. Particular emphasis is placed on countries and regions in the Global South where land and resource rights of communities and individuals tend to be less protected by existing legal frameworks and social safeguard mechanisms. These countries have also seen the highest tourism growth rates in recent years. In many countries of the Global South, tourism development is increasingly prioritised by governments, businesses, international financial institutions and donors over the legitimate land and resource rights of local people. This study examines the actors, drivers, mechanisms, discourses and impacts of tourism-related land grabbing and displacement, drawing on more than 20 case studies from Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Southwest Pacific. It also explores the potential of several international legal frameworks and voluntary guidelines to prevent tourism-related land grabs and involuntary relocation.