Slum tourism in places like Brazil

Slum tourism, also sometimes referred to as “ghetto tourism”, involves tourism in impoverished areas, particularly in India, Brazil, Kenya, and Indonesia. The goal of slum tourism is to give tourists the opportunity to see the “non-tourist” areas of a country or city.

The History of slum tourism

While slum tourism has gained some international notoriety in recent years, it is not a new concept.

In the mid-19th century, wealthy Londoners would travel to the squalid tenements of the East End. The first visits began under the guise of “charity,” but over the next few decades, the practice spread to neighborhoods in American cities like New York and Chicago. With demand, tour operators developed guides to tour these impoverished neighborhoods.

Slum tourism, or seeing how the other half lived, died out in the mid-20th century but regained popularity in South Africa due to apartheid. This tourism, however, was driven by oppressed black South Africans who wanted the world to understand their plight. The success of the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” brought India’s poverty to global attention and slum tourism expanded to cities like Dharavi, home to India’s largest slum.

Modern tourists want an authentic experience, not the whitewashed tourist areas that were so popular in the 1980s. Slum tourism meets this desire: to offer a look at the world beyond their personal experience. Disadvantages Of Slum Tourism

Slum Tourism Safety Concerns

As in all areas of tourism, tourism in slums may or may not be safe. When choosing a slum tour, guests should use due diligence to determine if a tour is licensed, has a good reputation on review sites, and follows local guidelines.

For example, Reality Tours and Travel, which was featured on PBS, takes 18,000 people on tours of Dharavi, India each year.

The visits highlight the positive aspects of the slums, such as their hospital, banking and entertainment infrastructure, and their negative aspects, such as lack of living space and toilets and piles of rubbish. The tour shows guests that not everyone has a middle-class home, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a vibrant life. Additionally, 80% of tour revenue is reinvested in community improvement projects.

Unfortunately, other companies, adopting similar names and logos, offer “tours” that don’t show the positives and negatives, but instead exploit the community. They also don’t pump funds into the community.

Because there is still no standard for slum tour operators, tourists must determine for themselves whether a particular tour company is acting as ethically and responsibly as it claims.

Slum Tourism in Brazil

Brazil favelas Slum areas typically found on the outskirts of big cities like São Paulo attract 50,000 tourists each year. Rio de Janeiro has by far the most slum visits of any city in Brazil. The federal government encourages slum tourism in Brazil’s favelas. The tours provide an opportunity to understand that these hilltop communities are vibrant communities, not just drug-infested slums portrayed in the movies.

Trained tour guides drive tourists into the favela by van and then offer walking tours highlighting local entertainment, community centers, and even meeting the people who live there. In general, photography is prohibited on visits to slums preserving respect for the people who live there.

Government objectives for touring favelas include:

• explaining the economy of a favela (employment, welfare, rental markets and more),
• highlighting the infrastructure of the favela (hospitals, shops, banks, fashion and entertainment),
• mobile schools and community centers,
• traveling community projects
• interacting with citizens and visiting their homes,
• and enjoy a meal at a local restaurant.

Concerns about slum tourism

Although Brazil has carefully structured its program for slum tourism, concerns persist. Despite the regulations and guidelines, some tourists take photos and share them on social media.

Whether for shock value or in an effort to enlighten the world about the plight of people in the slums, these photos can do more harm than good. Some tour operators, in the same way, exploit tourists and claim that their tours support local businesses without giving back to the community. Perhaps the biggest concern, however, is that when slum tourism fails, real life suffers.

Responsible slum tourism depends on government guidelines, ethical tour operators, and considerate tourists. When they come together, tourists can have a safe travel experience, gain a broader view of the world, and communities can benefit.