Rio favelas become hot new destination with record number of visitors - but critics say it's 'poverty tourism'

Local guide Vitor Oliveira, who used to be a motorcycle taxi driver in Rocinha, Rio's most populated favela, started offering tours after sensing the opportunity. Vitor told AP: 'To come to Rio and only visit Copacabana Beach, the statue of Christ and Sugar Loaf Mountain, you're not really visiting Rio. As such, there are critics who have accused those visiting the favelas of 'poverty tourism' - a type of tourism that involves visiting impoverished areas. Tourists visiting Rio's favelas have taken to social media to share their views. One clip taken in a favela was captioned: 'Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of visiting the favelas of Rio.