Social dimensions of child tourism labour: listening to children's voices in two Mexican rural communities

Abstract

Child labour in tourism is a worldwide phenomenon but its implications have been significantly absent from tourism academic discourses and policy designs. Local children's voices speaking on their participation in tourism labour need to be heard if a more comprehensive understanding of tourism social dimensions is to be gained. This study's objective was to gain a preliminary understanding of children's participation in tourism labour in two rural communities in Mexico's Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Based on the idea that children may be the best informants about themselves, this study's findings reveal that children actively participate in remunerable labour during the tourism season in the reserve. While children's participation is voluntary and represents more than a means to earn a complementary livelihood and an opportunity for their development, their participation places them at risk of physical harm and health problems and contributes to preservation of traditional gender roles. The study offers practical and methodological implications.