From the fair to stays with locals, tourists trade classic itineraries for local experiences in Rio

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— I like to see local things. Now I want to eat homemade food, play tennis on the beach, up high, meet the people here — says Alfonso, who fell in love with the spirit of Rio since his first visit, in 2012. In Feira do Lido, in Copacabana, he tried seriguela and had fun with the merchants who struck up a conversation:

— In Italy, from Naples, it’s like that. The people are friendly, they speak loudly, they talk to us with a smile. They are very warm people. This is why I love Brazil. It looks a lot like my house – he compares.

At the Ipanema fairs, foreigners represent a large part of trader Diogo Araújo’s clientele. He says he serves the Americans, the Argentinians, the Ecuadorians, the Bolivians, the French, the Germans…

— I train every time, every day. They come to taste different fruits, says the polyglot Diogo.

This way of “doing tourism” as a local is a global trend and has been reinforced in Rio, through different initiatives. One of them is the Couchsurfing app, which connects travelers for group meetings, events and even to request or offer free accommodation on the couch at home.

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The goal is to make friends and discover customs and cultures. Users of the platform create detailed profiles, upload their photos and, at the end of the experience, can write a text about the hosts, and vice versa. The rating remains on the profile for reference.

This movement is already reflected in Rio, where foreign tourists have expanded their itineraries beyond the South zone. Last year, a group of Spaniards stayed with mountaineer Sandro Silvestre, 43, in São Cristóvão, in the northern area of ​​the city.

— There, they took a photo under the Rua Bela viaduct, as if it were Christ the Redeemer. I thought it was so funny. But they also cooked at home, I showed them the neighborhood, the Northeast Traditions Center — he says, which welcomes a Costa Rican tourist.

But what pushes a person to host a stranger in their home? What to some seems crazy, to Rio’s Milena Soares, it’s fun. She has been present on the platform for 11 years and has welcomed around ten visitors.

— He is very rich. For those who receive it, we end up knowing a country and a culture without leaving the place, simply thanks to the attitude of the person. For foreigners, it’s a more basic experience. He participates in our routine and has access to experiences that he would not have with the traditional route — she reports.

Last month, civil servant Wallace Calixto, 38, welcomed a Jamaican to Laranjeiras:

— He deconstructed several things I thought about Jamaica. I trained my English. It was an important cultural exchange. Every time you open the house you have a thousand surprises. They can be positive or negative – he says.

This year, Rio exceeded, for the first time, the mark of two million international tourists, according to the Carioca Tourism Observatory, of the Municipal Tourism Secretariat (SMTUR-RIO). One of the secrets highlighted by secretary Daniela Maia is the hospitality of the people:

— Every visitor who arrives experiences the unique energy of Rio, our landscapes, our culture, our gastronomy and Rio’s way of welcoming people — he says.

The figures follow those of the rest of the country, which also recorded a record in 2025: 9 million foreign visitors, according to Embratur.

— The world is rediscovering Brazil. And not just for postcards, but for our culture, the diversity of territories, the music, the gastronomy and the authentic experiences that only Brazil can offer — observes Marcelo Freixo, president of Embratur.

Digital nomad, Englishman Harvey Morgan has been traveling around Rio for weeks. Last Wednesday, like a carioca, he went to the bar to see the Flamengo match against Paris Saint-Germain with friends he made here.

— I went to the Museum of Tomorrow and in the afternoon I sat down to watch the match. I was disappointed because Flamengo missed so many penalties – he reported.

Traveler and organizer of meetings between tourists and locals in Rio, Vanessa Little believes that the search for this experience was influenced by social networks.

— Many profiles have shown the real Rio, outside of tourist standards, and people come here looking for that. Some people want to take a motorcycle taxi, he said with a laugh.

She remembers the time she welcomed a Ukrainian into her home and took him to a free party at the Museum of Tomorrow:

— I discovered it by chance and got a free ticket. He was surprised. Another tourist, Moroccan, took me to a family barbecue, on a birthday, near a community. These are experiences that only those who live here have, they end up learning a lot.

The opposite also happens: Cariocas live the experience abroad and take the culture of Rio with them. Digital influencer Manuela Nagib, 29, also slept on the couch in Dubai, at a Jordanian’s home. But it did draw attention to the care needed.