An American travel influencer has been criticized for promoting a “slum tour” during her visit to India.
Tara Katims, 24, who is originally from the United States but recently moved to Mexico, posted a video advising her followers how to best spend 72 hours in Mumbai.
The full-time solo traveler documented her activities on her TikTok account @tarkatims, which included a Pilates class, clubbing and a cooking class, as well as a “tour of the slums of Dharavi.”
Tara said she was ‘very happy’ to have taken part in the tour, although she was ‘very nervous’ – but she was criticized online for turning other people’s ‘poverty’ into her own ‘tourism’ .
Recommending the two-hour tour to his fans in a video, Tara said: “I’m not going to lie, I was so nervous before I had this experience, but I’m so happy I did it. If you’re the type of person who likes to stay in touristy places when traveling, this probably isn’t for you.
US influencer Tara Katims (pictured) has been criticized for promoting a “slum tour” during her visit to India.
Tara, 24, said her “favorite part” of her visit to India was visiting the slums of Dharavi.
“I saw this ad on Airbnb for a tour given by a man who lived in the slums himself.
“His motivation in starting these tours was to help break the stigma that comes with growing up in the slums. People can be denied jobs after growing up in the slums and much more.
“The tour takes you through the different industries in the slums and allows you to see daily life there and the NGOs and organizations that go there to try and help.
“You can easily come to India and only see the beautiful areas, but the reality is that this is how most people in Mumbai live.”
But despite saying she would “recommend the tour 10/10”, Tara was slammed online by those who were shocked she was promoting the tour to her 15,000 followers.
One social media user wrote: “‘Slum Tour’ goodbye people live here – poverty is not tourism, it’s not for entertainment – instead of posting ‘Slum Tour “, maybe promote a charity that helps them.”
A second added: “This is absolutely not the way ‘most’ people in Mumbai live.” It is a large slum but a small area of Mumbai. At least try to be specific.
A third said: “I understand the intention behind this video but calling it a slum tour makes the idea sound really bad,” while another commented: “Using the SLUMS world tour is not going to NOT help break the stigma.”
The “Dharavi Slums Tour” is advertised on Airbnb as a two-hour tour organized by Jitrenda, who grew up in Mumbai.
Tara said she was ‘very happy’ to have gone on the tour, although she was ‘very nervous’ – but she was criticized online
However, some people were quick to rush to Tara’s defense, as one said: “How insensitive is she, the listing literally says ‘Dharavi Slums Tour’, she doesn’t didn’t invent the name.
The “Dharavi Slums Tour” is advertised on Airbnb as a two-hour experience organized by Jitrenda, who grew up in Mumbai.
It costs £6 per person and has an average rating of 4.98 stars from 300 reviews – with the aim of “dispelling the negative image of the slum and planning to spend part of the profits from the tour on social activities”, according to the announcement on Airbnb.
The residential area of Dharavi is considered one of the largest “slums” in the world, with a population of around one million. It was the setting for the Oscar-winning British film Slumdog Millionaire.
Search results for such tours generate hundreds of results, including listings on sites like TripAdvisor and Airbnb.
In 2019, The telegraph reported that tours of the region had become India’s “most popular” tourist attraction, despite controversy over the ethics of their participation.
“Slums” are densely populated areas and are often associated with poverty.
However, many no longer use the word “slum” due to its derogatory associations and negative connotations.
Tara was slammed online for turning other people’s ‘poverty’ into her own ‘tourism’
Some say that using the word slum is an attempt to delegitimize the land by trying to repurpose it.
The UN defines slums as: “Individuals living under the same roof and lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living space, housing sustainability and security ‘occupation. »
Tara has traveled the world, posting videos from her trips to Mexico, Nepal, India and Egypt.
She previously revealed that she would never go to Egypt alone as a traveler due to the harassment she experienced in Cairo.