The favelas of Rio de Janeiro seek to erase their reputation for violence and become a popular destination for cultural tourism

The influx of curious visitors has inspired residents of those low-income communities to resort to tourism to generate income among them the local guide Vitor Oliveira.

Oliveira, formerly a motorcycle taxi driver in Rocinha -the most populated favela in Rio-, indicated that it began offering tours after noticing an increase in international visitors. Tourism, he said, is now his main source of income.

Although favelas usually appear in the news linked to violence and organized crime – the gigantic and ferocious police operation that left more than 130 dead in two favela complexes last October caused a commotion – at the same time they have become a pole of attraction for those looking for something more than a beach or carnival in the “wonderful city.”

Rio welcomed 12.5 million tourists in 2025, including 2.1 million international visitors, according to the Rio mayor’s office. The number of international tourists increased by 44.8% compared to 2024generating 7.8 billion reais (1.5 billion dollars) for the city’s economy.

On a busy weekday in late January, Rocinha was packed with tourists from Chile and France. Through the crowd, Oliveira guided Oscar Jara, a Paraguayan, and his nephew, José Martínez, through the narrow streets of the favela.

“Coming to Rio and only visiting Copacabana beach, the statue of Christ and the Sugarloaf Mountain, is not really visiting Rio. You are visiting an elegant and expensive side of Rio,” Oliveira observed. “But the essence of Rio comes from the favelas.”

Rocinha extends along a hill with View of many of Rio’s main landmarks. Oliveira usually begins his tour with visits to viewpoints, then takes tourists to cultural venues, such as capoeira performances and artists’ galleries. Customers can even choose to end the tour with a Brazilian barbecue on their own balcony.

Tourists are increasingly seeking authentic experiences of what it means to be from Rio, said Caroline Martins de Melo Bottino, a professor in the tourism department at Rio de Janeiro State University. “People understand that Rio’s favelas meet these expectations very well,” he added.

As visitors increase, they are now available open houses and new bars with balconies for tourists to take selfiesand some even offer panoramic drone video recording services.

Some of these videos, taken by influencers, have gone viral on social networks and are part of the reason for the growth in visitors. Oliveira said hundreds of tourists contacted him after he appeared in a Spanish tourist’s YouTube video that received thousands of views.

Jara, the Paraguayan tourist, pointed out that some of these viral videos give people confidence to visit without fear, despite the fact that favelas often appear in the news about police operations against drug trafficking.

He himself sought out Oliveira after watching one of his videos. “It is a very authentic tourism… it is not designed for tourists, it is not designed to show something superficial,” said Jara.

Jara is not the only one who has succumbed to the charm of Rocinha. The global superstar Rosalía He spent the final days of 2025 in Rio, and his stay included a trip to Rocinha, where he is seen in video footage learning the famous “passinho” dance step.

Cosme Felippsen, a tour guide who works in his home favela of Morro da Providencia, as well as in Rocinha, says that many guides specifically adapt their tours to go beyond simply drinking a caipirinha in a favela.

“We are going to bring people to raise awareness, to tell the history of these territories through the eyes of the main character: the resident,” he noted.