That those of us wealthy enough to travel for fun find some form of self-enlightenment from exploring the poorest parts of the world is hardly a new phenomenon. Innumerable college backpackers find revelations in their wanderings through developing nations. And for years South Africa’s Soweto Township and the urchin-filled streets of Rio have drawn tourists looking for a glimpse of third-world destitution on it’s grandest scale. What is the draw? Tactile confirmation that the images on TV are based in reality? Perhaps it provides some selfish form of guilt reduction to say to the world, “I’ve been there; I looked upon extreme poverty with my own eyes and I didn’t turn away–that must count for something.” Well, a recent story in the Times (UK) reports that one of the hottest rising slum tourism locations, due in no small part to the movie “Slumdog Millionaire,” is Dharavi, reportedly Asia’s biggest slum, in Bombay. And the oft talked about tour company leading travelers into this sprawling swath of less fortunate humanity is Reality Tours and Travel. Of course there are arguments for both sides of this situation. It’s the exploitation vs. exposure debate that crops up in so many controversial forms of tourism (shark diving, for instance).

On the one hand, there’s obviously something wrong with groups of tourists peering through the tinted windows of a bus as it makes its way through the grotty streets, but from what I can find, the growing “poorism” trend is not about passive voyerism. It seems that the demand itself is for the tangible experience of wading through the trash, interacting with the people and getting out of the comfort zone at least a little. One could argue that exploring a city on one’s own would prove the most rewarding leap out of the comfort zone. Nix the tour guide altogether. But anyone who has been abroad knows this is an insurmountable hurdle for the vast majority of travelers. So, maybe this is the next best thing.

Photo used under Creative Commons, taken from Flickr.