Is tourism helping to alleviate poverty in the poor southern hemisphere countries?

Data collected for this paper shows that the majority of international tourism activity is conducted in the Northern hemisphere. Further investigation also indicates that tourism is similar to any other global industry. It takes place in the regions of international airline routes and shipping ports as well as other “hubs” which are rich in technology and human resources. Tourism has often been referred to as a North /South industry, in that it is predominantly the rich Northern hemisphere tourists visiting the poor Southern countries in an unequal exchange. This paper explores the current tourist destination trends and uses airline linkages and distribution systems as focal points to enquire if tourism can be an appropriate tool in alleviating poverty.