Published 5 hours ago • loading... • Updated 1 hour ago

Rio’s favelas become hot tourist destination as visitors seek cultural immersion

As record tourist numbers arrive in Rio, Rio City Hall reports 12.5 million visitors in 2025, with many bypassing landmarks for favela tours to explore neighbourhood life.
Demand for authentic experiences has grown as influencers and viral content creators helped tourists overcome fear, with Caroline Martins de Melo Bottino noting this shift and Rosalía visiting Rocinha.
Guides like Vitor Oliveira lead tours starting at viewpoints, showcasing capoeira presentations and artists' galleries, and ending with Brazilian barbecues and drone video services.
Local guides report tourism has become their main livelihood, with residents of low-income communities turning to tours for income and generating substantial revenue for Rio's economy.
Beyond stereotypes, favelas now embody Rio's cultural heart, as Rocinha sprawls across a hill with tourists from Chile and France challenging narrow ideas of visiting Rio.

Insights by Ground AI