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Inovatur project begins new phase focusing on favela tourism.
Published on 24/03/2026 - 15:41 | Updated on 24/03/2026 - 20:02
Project begins in Morro da Providência, where the first favela in Brazil was formed. Photo: Marcos de Paula The Municipal Tourism Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro (SMTUR-RIO) held the first working meeting of the new phase of Inovatur, a project to encourage innovative actions in the tourism sector that aims to boost favela tourism by 2026. The first location chosen is Morro da Providência, where the first favela in Brazil was formed.
Developed in partnership with Senac RJ, the project brings together residents, experts, representatives from the public sector, academia, social organizations, and entrepreneurs to map the challenges of tourism in the region and present and validate solutions to boost it.
"I am very happy to begin this second phase of Inovatur, aimed at boosting tourism in favelas. I am confident that we will build a project that will be a benchmark for the role of public authorities in tourism in this territory so significant to our city," says Daniela Maia, Municipal Secretary of Tourism.
Throughout the day, at Cápsula – the Senac RJ Innovation Center in the city center – they participated in activities such as listening sessions and organizing challenges, culminating in the creation of a document outlining the planned mapping. Representatives from over 20 institutions were present: residents' associations, tour guides, entrepreneurs, universities such as Uerj, UniRio, and UFRRJ, Hub Caixa, Casa Amarela, Muhcab, as well as organizations like Reafro, Voz das Comunidades, SOS Providência/Instituto Caminhantes, Instituto Efeito Urbano, Conectando Territórios, Instituto Aupaba, Sustenta Carnaval, and Sebrae, among others.
Scheduled for completion in June of this year, Inovatur 2026 consists of six stages, structured through innovation cycles, which include defining the focus – favela tourism –, mapping the ecosystem – the main actors involved –, identifying challenges, ideation, and validation of solutions for tourism in the city. Activities are planned such as specialized mentoring for the development of solutions, which include conducting practical tests at the Cápsula Creative Economy Laboratory, in addition to the ideation of solutions that will be open to the public in May.
In its first phase, carried out throughout 2024, Inovatur worked on the development of five tourism incubators based in Rio de Janeiro, which were monitored for eight months. Startups, sole proprietorships, micro and small businesses participated in the project, whose challenge was to develop innovative business models with the goal of achieving financial independence in a sustainable way.
