Marketing

Engineering

Embedded system

Nexus (standard)

Tourism

Archaeology

Economics

Informal sector

Sustainable tourism

Business

Environmental planning

Mechanical engineering

Confiscation

Geography

Political science

Work (physics)

Sociology

Poverty

Economic growth

Socioeconomics

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

This article examines the views and experiences of rickshaw drivers in Hanoi regarding the tourism–poverty nexus. Observation, interview, and diary methods collected data from 58 drivers, of whom 28 worked for rickshaw companies (formal sector) and 30 were self-employed (informal sector). Formal drivers reported stable work and income and low rates of police confiscation, whereas informal drivers earned more money and had greater work flexibility but faced a higher risk of police confiscation. Although rickshaw driving has improved the living conditions of drivers' families, Hanoi has proposed a ban that would reduce their incomes. This study argues that considering the opinions of rickshaw drivers may clarify appropriate measures for poverty alleviation and rickshaw management. A paradigm shift is suggested, from quantitative analyses of poverty towards an understanding of poor people's lives, if tourism is to help alleviate poverty.

To be or not to be formal? Rickshaw drivers’ perspectives on tourism and poverty