ABSTRACT
In this study, ghetto tourism, in which the aspects of poverty, exclusion and marginality are included in the tourism activity is discussed in ghettos which is a sharp form of urban segregation. Slum tourism, defined as a niche tourism type, is discussed through the discourse analysis of promotional texts on the websites of tour companies (Daytours4u, African Trails and Reality Tours & Travel) serving in Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town and Mumbai, where the world’s largest ghettos are located. The discourses of these companies, which refer to the social benefits of ghetto tourism, are analyzed under the themes of “authentic consumption, awareness and regional development”, which are related to each other. While the authentic consumption discourse offers the promise of a unique experience to the tourists, it is expected that experiencing poverty in the ghettos and intercultural interaction will create an awareness. It is assumed that this awareness will provide economic and cultural development in the ghettos through combating the stereotypes about the ghettos in the global media, increasing philanthropy and commercial activity in the region, and supporting NGOs. These relational themes are discussed based on the literature where two main approaches that see ghetto tourism as an opportunity and treat these tours as “alternative tours”, “reality tours”, “authentic tours” and critical approaches that consider it as “poverty tourism”, “dark tourism”, “safari tours” from the points of “social voyeurism”, “commercialization of poverty” and other sources.