American influencer slammed for Dharavi slum tour: ‘so disrespectful’

Influencer Tara Katims went went on a tour of Dharavi slum (Image: @earthlykisssed/X)

An American travel content creator has come under fire for taking part in a Dharavi slum tour, never mind the fact that such tours are frequently organised and hosted by Indians. TikToker Tara Katims travelled to India last year and documented her experience in a video that has now resurfaced on social media.

Katims visited several places in India, including the Taj Mahal in Agra and the backwaters of Kerala. However, one part of her itinerary raised eyebrows on social media – she went on a tour of the Dharavi slum in Mumbai. Commonly described as one of the world’s largest slums, Dharavi is home to an estimated 1 million people.

im sorry did this woman just say that she went on a "slums tour" ????? pic.twitter.com/aYyFwUOluI

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— kp (@earthlykisssed) March 16, 2024

“His motivation behind 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 so much more,” Katims explained.

However, the American travel influencer was criticised as tone-deaf for “promoting poverty”. On X, where a snippet of her video was shared, she received much backlash from Indians.

Really that's all you have to showcase about India?
Yes there overload of everything, culture, growth, garbage.
You find extremes everywhere, extreme developed cities and extreme mismanagement as well.
But you know there're two sides of coin for this developing and growing nation

— Sarabjit (@Sarabjit_cse) March 20, 2024

ohh God I'm so fed up with white people's obsession to show poverty in India.
and a small portion of people in mumbai live in slums, not most people. get your facts right pls

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— baz (@daltadkaparcel) March 21, 2024

Shame on you. Why don't you mention how British and other colonial people looted country so badly and responsible for such situation. Why you want a fame for filming or watching poorness of people. They are happy with their life they don't want attention from heartless people

— Sujit (@sujitsgawand) March 21, 2024

Several people called it disrespectful to organise tours to a place where people live. Others slammed Katims for glamourizing poverty.

A quick Google search reveals that Dharavi slum tours are a common occurrence. One such tour is organised by an Airbnb host who grew up in Dharavi himself and now claims to want to “dispel the negative image of the slum.”

“Dharavi is the largest slum in India. We would love to give you an educational insight of the area, by visiting different neighborhoods and discussing everyday life and social issues of the locals,” reads the description of the tour on Airbnb. Tickets to visit the slum range from Rs 700 to Rs 1,000.