Rio’s Favelas Become Hot Tourist Destination As Visitors Seek Cultural Immersion
RIO DE JANEIRO : As record numbers of tourists flock to Rio de Janeiro, many are looking beyond the city’s iconic landmarks; instead, he leads local tours of the city’s slums, learning more about often stigmatized areas that are also markers of urban culture and art.
The influx of curious visitors has inspired residents of low-income communities to turn to tourism to earn money, including local guide Vitor Oliveira.
Oliveira, a former motorcycle taxi driver in Rocinha, Rio’s most populous slum, said he started offering tours after noticing an increase in international visitors. He said tourism is now the main source of income.
According to Rio City Hall, Rio welcomed 12.5 million tourists in 2025, including 2.1 million international visitors. The number of international tourists increased by 44.8% compared to 2024, bringing 7.8 billion reais ($1.5 billion) to the Rio economy.
On a busy weekday in late January, Rocinha was packed with tourists from Chile and France. Amid the crowd, Oliveira guided Paraguayan Oscar Jara and his nephew José Martínez through the narrow streets of the slum.
“By coming to Rio and just visiting Copacabana Beach, the Christ statue, and Sugarloaf Mountain, you’re not actually visiting Rio. You’re visiting a flashy, expensive side of Rio,” Oliveira said. “But the essence of Rio comes from the slums.”
Rocinha is perched on a hill overlooking many of Rio’s major landmarks. Oliveira usually starts his tour with viewpoints, then takes tourists to cultural spots such as capoeira presentations and artist galleries. Customers can even choose to finish the tour with a Brazilian barbecue on their own balcony.
Caroline Martins de Melo Bottino, a professor in the department of tourism at Rio de Janeiro State University, said tourists are increasingly looking for authentic experiences of what it means to be a Rio resident. “People understand that Rio’s slums live up to those expectations really well.”
As visitors increase, new bars with balconies and houses with open floors are now open for tourists to take selfies, with some even offering scenic drone video recording services.
Some of these videos shot by influencers went viral on social media and became one of the reasons for the increase in visitors. Oliveira said he was approached by hundreds of tourists after a Spanish tourist’s YouTube video was viewed thousands of times.
Jara, a Paraguayan tourist, stated that some of the viral videos gave people the confidence to visit without fear. He called Oliveira himself after seeing one of his videos. “This is very unique tourism…it’s not organized for tourists, it’s not organized to show off something superficial,” Jara said.
Jara is not the only one who succumbed to Rocinha’s charm. Global superstar Rosalía spent the final days of 2025 in Rio, and her stay included a trip to Rocinha, where video footage showed her learning the famous passinho dance step.
Cosme Felippsen, a tour guide who works in the Rocinha slum as well as from her home in Morro da Providencia, says many guides specifically tailor their tours to go beyond drinking caipirinhas in the slum.
“We will invite people to raise awareness and tell the history of these areas through the eyes of the main character, the resident.”
