Reality Tours & Travel
SERVICE
Tours in slums and local villages in India.
BUSINESS MODEL
80% of the profits from the tours fund the company’s sister NGO Reality Gives which supports education programs for the slum and villages communities.
IMPACT
Place: India
Scale: impacted lives of over 6,000 people
Depth:
- Raised 450,000 $ in 10 years to support education programs
- Increase tourists awareness and build understanding about slums
- Boost pride and self-esteem of locals
- Provides employment and for locals
ORIGINS
Chris Way, an English citizen, got the idea from the favela tours in Rio. Having been in Mumbai previously in 2003 doing some volunteer teaching, he knew about the slums and so decided to return to India in late 2004 with this idea in mind. It quickly became apparent that Dharavi was this fascinating place, with so much industry/ energy/ sense of community that it would definitely appeal to tourists. He persuaded Krishna that tourists would find this place interesting, and then formed the company in September 2005.
WHAT’S NEXT?
- In 2007, after discussing the community’s needs with its residents, Reality Tours set up a Community Centre in Dharavi to provide English and computer classes, using tour revenues.
- In 2009, the NGO Reality Gives was born.
- Chris Way now consults with Smokey Tours in Manila, The Philippines, to help them implement the same model.
- They offer 40+ different tours.
GET INVOLVED !
As a Traveler
Slum tours, bycicle tours, street food tours, village tours, special tours during Holi festival, … Book among the 40+ different tours offered by Reality Tours & Travel.
Get Hired
Passionate about using travel and tourism to create positive change? Want to work for this company? Check out the job opportunities at Reality Tours & Travel.
Start Your Own!
Reality Tours & Travel’s founder, Chris Way, provides consultancy to help others implement the same model in other countries.