The Evolving Paradigm of Filipino Prisoners Artistic Performance as a Tourism Product

Abstract

This is an exploratory study aimed at determining whether the artistic performance of inmates in the national penitentiary may be considered as a tourism product. The performance began to gather worldwide attention with the showing of the dancing inmates on You Tube. The research was carried further by looking at performances which have been featured and are still being shown inside the Maximum and Medium Security Compounds of the country"s prison.The methodology is a comparative analysis of literature related to tourism product and the formulation of an appropriate definition of the tourism product under study, it being intrinsic to the country. Following Smith"s generic tourism product definition and the tourism production process, the analysis reinforced the very nature of prisoners" performance as a tourism product indeed. As such the paper serves to enlighten both prison and tourism stakeholders on the potential of the tourism product.