In Brazil , growing number of tourists are flocking to Rio de Janeiro?s slums (favelas). On hills overlooking the city?s glitzy beaches, Rio?s favelas purport to offer a more authentic experience for the tourist weary of pre-packaged resort vacations. Worldwide, these ?safe danger? expeditions are alternately termed ?slum tourism,? ?poorism,? and ?reality tourism.? This phenomenon, in which tourists take guided tours in potentially dangerous areas, challenges long-accepted tenets on the importance of security in tourism. The heightened popularity of these excursions raises important questions, however, about the advisability of ?favela tourism? in Rio, one of the world?s most dangerous cities.
?Safe Danger? Tours and Rio?s Favela Tourism
?Safe Danger? tours?whether in war-torn regions or poverty-stricken cities–are gaining popularity around the world. In November 2006, the United Nation?s World Tourism Organization (WTO) identified ?safe danger? tourism as a new trend in global tourism. Guides provide in-depth tours of shantytowns outside Buenos Aires, impoverished villages in Kenya , and railway station slums in India . Rio?s favela tourism is the most popular draw in this category.
Rio?s squatter settlements are among the most studied and evaluated low-income neighborhoods in the world. These favelas vary in size, structure, and level of development. One estimate places the number of favelas in Rio at 500. While some favelas resemble penurious shantytowns with extremely limited civil services, the more established ones have brick homes, schools, and police patrols. One well-known favela is Rocinha, Rio?s largest and a popular destination for favela tourists. Referred to as the ?first world of favelas? by a CNN report, Rocinha is South America?s most developed slum. It owes its popularity, in no small part, to its proximity to the world-famous Ipanema Beach.
While favela tourism has existed since the 1980s, its popularity has grown in recent years. There are various factors contributing to the tourist appeal of these shantytowns. Some tourists seek cultural authenticity, which may be lacking in wealthier, safer destinations. The threat of danger or violence may add a romantic aura and excitement many visitors feel are lacking in more traditional destinations. Brazil is the second most violent country in the world, according to UN reports, and government services?including sanitation, water and electricity–are often in short supply in Rio?s poorest neighborhoods.
Ironically, travelers are more likely to encounter crime and violence in more touristy areas of Rio than in favelas. Incidences of crime against tourists are greatest around hotels, resorts, and popular nightspots. Armed individuals ensure safety for those not involved in drug turf wars in various favelas. Tour guides often have deals with local crime bosses. Drug lords are reluctant to draw the attention of local police; ensuring the safety of visitors, therefore, is in their interest. Nevertheless, it is important to exercise extreme caution, as Rio was the site of intense drug-related violence last year .
In 2006, tourist spending in Brazil grew by nine percent, according to local tourism institute Embratur. Favela tourism in Brazil is a small, yet important, aspect of this growth. Contributing to the growth of favela tourism is a new generation of hoteliers offering dirt cheap lodging in Rio?s shantytowns. Budget hotels are in fashion; almost 200 of these hotels are set to open in Brazil over the next five years.
To Favela or Not
The growth of ?safe danger? tours worldwide, and favela tourism in particular, raises complex questions. While some laud the increased tourism revenue provided to these underdeveloped sections of Rio, there is a rising contingent questioning the ethics of such expeditions. Some critics have termed these tours ?voyeuristic? and ?exploitative,? an example of well-to-do individuals gawking at poor people and their depressed environs. These criticisms are not unique to Rio. In Kenya, local citizens are tiring of so-called ?slum tourism,? of dignitaries using their decimated neighborhoods as go-to platforms for short, empowering speeches. Such displays are breeding resentment, and locals are often embarrassed to be the object of ?pity tours.?
In addition, the popularity of these tours may have a negative impact on these communities in the long run. In particular, for the favelas to continue drawing visitors, they would need to remain as they are: potentially dangerous, poverty-stricken pockets around Rio. If they are allowed to develop and modernize, they will lose their appeal to danger-seeking travelers. While the Brazilian government encourages foreign tourism to areas such as Rocinha, these slum neighborhoods remain otherwise invisible to the government; they exist almost as separate city-states removed from essential services, such as electricity and running water. While these tours may seem harmless in the short-term, it is important to question whether the commodification of poverty and insecurity for foreign consumption is helpful to Brazil?s economic and political infrastructure.
