ABSTRACT
According to popular stereotypes of travel lore, the average Western tourist contemplating a vacation in Rio de Janeiro is led to anticipate a sojourn in a modern metropolis dividing sun-drenched days between the white sands of famed beaches and the picture-postcard venues of its iconic landmarks, while balmy nights can be spent drinking caipirinhas and swaying to tropical rhythms in chic nightclubs amidst the friendly company of ‘exotic’ locals. Sun, sand, sex – and samba – a Brazilian version of the tried and true travel agency formula. Given the currency of such tourist clichés, it is surprising that growing numbers of Rio’s international visitors are embarking on an improbable and seemingly incongruous tourist pursuit: ‘reality tours’ through one of the city’s teeming shantytowns or favelas.
