Where to find diaspora tourism

What is diaspora tourism?

Diaspora tourism usually refers to descendants of immigrants visiting their ancestors’ homelands as tourists.

Almost every country has some form of diaspora tourism. By some estimates, about a half a million US citizens of Scottish descent visit Scotland every year. The first time I visited Vietnam, in 2005, half of my tour group in the Mekong Delta were children of Vietnamese immigrants to the US. For all of them, it was their first time visiting Vietnam, and several told me that the trip made them feel more connected to their parents’ culture and language. Every year, there are more US companies that offer diaspora tours around the world, like Magic & Melanin and Black & Abroad, which bring African Americans to countries across West Africa.

Diaspora tourism is also where immigrants went.

Think about how many cities around the world have a neighborhood named Chinatown. I’ve visited Chinatowns in New York, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, and Lima, and tourists go for more than the food. (All the photos above are from Chinatown in Buenos Aires). Many cities that have large concentrations of immigrants from the same place have museums, art, music, and culture reflective of their immigrant ancestors. One of my favorites is the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, which was called the Mexican Fine Arts Museum when I visited, years ago.

Diaspora tourism is often tied to slavery.

One of the biggest diasporas in the world comes from the estimated 10.7 million Africans who were sold into slavery in the Americas. They were the ones who survived the middle passage, of about 12.5 million who were put on ships departing Africa.

Salvador, Brazil is a popular destination for Brazilians with African heritage because of its strong African roots in every aspect of the city’s culture. The museum Cidade da Música da Bahia celebrates the African influence in local music and the Pelourinho neighborhood is home to the world famous Balé Folclorico da Bahia. The joyous music, colorful art, and delicious food make the place wonderful for tourism today, but the name pelourinho means pillory, or whipping post.

Salvador’s population is over 80% Black and the city’s leadership is not afraid to face its violent history. It’s not just Brazilians who visit Salvador. According to Essence, every year more African Americans visit the city, most of them intent on seeing its African roots. Read my Salvador blogs here.

Cities and countries that are willing to expose and even celebrate the most painful parts of their history are going to win tourists’ hearts, and dollars, in the growing diaspora tourism phenomenon.

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African Heritage in Chincha, Peru

I wanted to go to Chincha to see its vibrant Afro-Peruvian culture. The city is famous for zapateo, a dance with strong African roots and music that sounds straight out of North Africa. It was a wonderful experience, made even more meaningful by the haciendas that are facing their role in slavery, like more plantations are finally doing on the southern US.

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Kesi’s Guide to Slave Tours Around the World

Instead of my own article, this week I have an article written by one of my favorite travel content creators. Kesi has been traveling fulltime for over six years (her IG says 9+ years) and wrote the best guide I’ve seen for slave tours, inspired by her visit to the former slave port in Badagry, Nigeria.