Travel influencer Tara Katims is criticized for going on a slum tour of Mumbai, saying it is ‘her favorite part of her trip to India’
An American travel influencer has been criticized for promoting a ‘slum tour’ during her visit to India.
Tara Katims, 24, originally from the US but recently moved to Mexico, posted a video advising her followers on the best way to 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 is ‘so happy’ to have gone on tour despite being ‘so nervous’ – but she is being criticized online for turning others’ ‘poverty’ into her own ‘tourism’.
Recommends the two-hour tour to her fans in a video, Tara said: ‘I’m not going to lie, I was so nervous going into this experience, but I’m so glad I did. If you’re the kind of person who likes to stay in touristy places when they travel, then this probably isn’t for you.
US travel influencer Tara Katims (pictured) has been criticized for promoting a ‘slum tour’ during her visit to India
Tara, 24, said her ‘favorite part’ of visiting India was touring the slums of Dharavi
‘I saw this advertisement on Airbnb for a tour given by a man who has lived in the slums himself.
‘His motivation in starting these tours was to help break the stigma associated 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 you see daily life there and the NGOs and organizations that go there to help.
“It’s easy to come to India and only see the beautiful parts, but the reality is that this is how most people in Mumbai live.”
But despite saying she would ’10/10 recommend’ the tour, Tara was slammed online by those shocked that she was promoting the tour to her 15,000 followers.
One social media user wrote: ‘“Slum tour” girl, hey people live here – poverty is not tourism, it’s not your place to be entertained – instead of posting a “slum tour” maybe you could promote a charity that helps them.’
A second added: ‘Definitely not how “most” people live in Mumbai. This is a big slum, but only a small part of Mumbai. At least try to be accurate.’
A third said: ‘I understand the intention behind this video but calling it a slum tour puts the whole idea in a really bad taste,’ while another commented: ‘Using the SLUMS world tour will NOT help reduce the stigma breaking through.’
The ‘Dharavi Slums Tour’ is advertised on Airbnb as a two-hour tour organized by Jitrenda, who grew up in Mumbai
Tara said she’s ‘so happy’ she went on tour despite being ‘really nervous’ – but she’s been blasted online
However, some people quickly rushed to Tara’s defense, with one saying: ‘How insensitive is she? It literally says ‘Dharavi Slums Tour’, she didn’t make up 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 – aiming to ‘dispel the negative image of the slum and spend some of the profits from the tour on social activities’, according to the listing on Airbnb.
The Dharavi residential area is considered one of the largest ‘slums’ in the world, with around a million inhabitants, and was used as the setting in the Oscar-winning British film Slumdog Millionaire.
Search results for such tours return hundreds of results, including listings on the likes of TripAdvisor and Airbnb.
In 2019, The Telegraph reported that tours of the area had become India’s ‘most popular’ tourist attraction, despite controversy over the ethics of participation.
‘Slums’ are areas of densely packed housing and are often associated with poverty.
However, many no longer use the word ‘slum’ due to its derogatory associations and negative connotations.
Tara has been criticized online for turning the ‘poverty’ of others into her own ‘tourism’
Some say the use of the word slum is an attempt to delegitimize land by repurposing 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, adequate living space, sustainability of housing and security of tenure.’
Tara has traveled the world and posted videos of her trips to Mexico City, Nepal, India and Egypt, among others.
She previously revealed that she would never visit Egypt alone as a female traveler because she was harassed in Cairo.