RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) 鈥� As record numbers of tourists descend upon , many are looking beyond the city鈥檚 iconic landmarks, seeking instead local tours in the city’s favelas to learn more about the that are also beacons of urban culture and art.
The influx of curious visitors has inspired residents of the low-income communities to turn to , among them local guide Vitor Oliveira.
Oliveira, formerly a motorcycle taxi driver in Rocinha 鈥� Rio鈥檚 most populated favela 鈥� said he started to offer tours after noticing an increase in international visitors. Tourism, he said, is now his main source of income.
Rio welcomed 12.5 million tourists in 2025, including 2.1 million international visitors, according to Rio City Hall. The number of international tourists jumped by 44.8% compared to 2024, generating 7.8 billion reais ($1.5 billion) for Rio鈥檚 economy.
On a busy weekday in late January, Rocinha was teeming with tourists from Chile and France. Amid the crowds, Oliveira guided Oscar Jara, a Paraguayan, and his nephew, Jos茅 Mart铆nez, through the favela’s narrow streets.
鈥淭o come to Rio and only visit Copacabana Beach, the statue of Christ and Sugar Loaf Mountain, you鈥檙e not really visiting Rio. You鈥檙e visiting a posh and expensive side of Rio,” said Oliveira. 鈥淏ut Rio鈥檚 essence comes from the favelas.鈥�
Rocinha is sprayed across a hill that overlooks many of Rio鈥檚 major landmarks. Oliveira typically starts his tour with viewpoints, then takes tourists to cultural spots, such as capoeira presentations and artists鈥� galleries. Clients can even choose to end the tour by having a Brazilian barbecue on his own balcony.
Tourists are increasingly looking for authentic experiences about what it means to be from Rio, said Caroline Martins de Melo Bottino, a professor at Rio de Janeiro State University鈥檚 tourism department. 鈥淧eople understand that Rio鈥檚 favelas meet these expectations really well.鈥�
As visitors increase, new bars with balconies and houses with open slabs are now open for tourists to take selfies, with some even offering scenic drone video recording services.
Some of these videos, taken by influencers, have gone viral on social media and are part of the reason for the growth in visitors. Oliveira said he was approached by hundreds of tourists after appearing in a YouTube video by a Spanish tourist that received thousands of views.
Jara, the Paraguayan tourist, noted that some of those viral videos give people confidence to visit without fear. He himself sought out Oliveira after seeing one of his videos. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very authentic tourism…not tidied up for tourists, not arranged to show something superficial,鈥� Jara said.
Jara is hardly the only one to have succumbed to Rocinha’s charm. spent the last days of 2025 in , and her stay included a trip to Rocinha where video footage shows her learning the famed .
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 tailor their tours to go beyond simply drinking a caipirinha in a favela.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to bring people to raise awareness, to tell the history of these territories through the eye of the main character 鈥� the resident.鈥�
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