Whole Network Most Recent TOP10 A World Away En Route Hidden Gems Travel News

 

Slum Tourism: Rich Vs. Poor or Learning Experience?

Filed in archive Travel News by Josh Lew on March 14, 2008

Favela-CCBY.jpg

With all the museums and beaches visited, what else is there to do during your trip to Rio? You could try a jujitsu lesson, but you don't want to be in any pain for the long flight back home. You could climb on the Rio Jesus, but you've already done it twice. You could go down to the beach and try to mingle with all the beautiful people, but you just don't seem to fit in there.

About 16 years ago, an enterprising travel agent began offering tours of the favelas, slums, that climb the hillsides over the city. The idea seemed crazy at first. Rio's favelas were, and are, notorious for their gang activity and squalor. However, with connections in the slum's community, guides are able to offer tours regularly today. There are few, if any, incidents reported. Slum tourism is now found in other cities as well: Mumbai, Johannesburg, Jakarta...

But what is the point of slum tourism? Is it simply another adventure sport that offers navel gazers an experience that they can go home and reference when they need to remind their friends how tough they are? Or is it educational to see the conditions under which a majority of the world lives?

The money generated by this type of tourism mostly goes to guides and agencies. Some tours include stops at local shops or art galleries, but little income reaches the slums as a whole. I guess, then, that the pros and cons must be weighed on an individual level. What did each visitor take away from their trip into the slums?

Source


Advertisement


Permalink: Slum Tourism: Rich Vs. Poor or Learning Experience?
Tags: Rio  Brazil  Slum  tourism  Favela  adventure  adventure?  learning  world  poverty  500+read+timeout 

Trackback: http://www.creative-weblogging.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.pl/116381



Related Entries:

Tourism for fighting poverty - 03 January 2007

New Adventure Race in Abu Dhabi - 22 June 2007

Off the Beaten Path in Belize - 22 September 2007

Language Learning Vacations - 30 September 2007

The Gateway to Eastern Europe - 19 March 2008

Advertisement


Advertisement


CW ToolbarInstall
RSSrss   | See all blog subscribe options
Googlegoogle   |   What is RSS?
Yahoo!yahoo
AddthisAddThis Feed Button
BloglinesBloglines
Newsletter
Advertisement - Book yours here.

Use our search feature to look for other interesting posts

Just this blog Whole network
Advertisement -
Book yours here..


 
  • Would you like to see your text link here? Let us know!
Advertisement
Book yours here.



  • Other blogs in the same channel in the Creative Weblogging Network

Advertisement -
Book yours here..






Advertisement - Book yours here..
 
Tagcloud: A World Away Adventure Budget Travel Business Travel Cities Dining En Route Events Hidden Gems Islands Learning Experiences Luxury Travel Modern World Neighborhoods Sport Travel Books Travel News Videos Websites