Fancy a sight-seeing holiday that takes in such views as waste factories, overworked public toilets and open drains? Well, that's what the latest tourism hotspot promises along with dark alleys, polluted rivers and a stench of fish.

Welcome to the slums of Mumbai – a corner of India that is benefitting from the current box office hit and awards darling Slumdog Millionaire. But while the movie's central character youngster Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) works to get out of the slums he calls home, western tourists are heading in the opposite direction as part of the burgeoning "slum tourism" industry.

Travel agents confirm that number of tourists visiting Dharavi, Asia's biggest slum is increasing thanks to the popular movie. "Everybody is talking about Slumdog," said Ganesh Tikonkar to The Times. Tikonkar works as a guide for Reality Tours, which takes up to 50 people a day through the shantytown.

"Now people want to see the real thing." Tikontar's colleague at Reality Tours Krishna Pujari adds: "People ask us was the film shot here in Dharavi. We show them the spots where some of the scenes were shot. Some of the people do come after watching the film."

It's a growing trend that is proving controversial. Arguing for the boom, Mumbai-based NGO Deval Sanghai says: "Yes, these places have their grim side, but many people who go on the tours are surprised to find thriving, diverse communities, who live together peacefully." And other residents of Mumbai also appreciate the merits. "We pass by but we really don't know how it would be to live there, so it would be interesting to actually go and have a look inside and spend some time there," comments local, Hari.

Those that have taken the tour are often surprised by the clash between the film and the reality. "There's so much positive stuff happening, the industries. I don't think that's reflected in the film," said Dutch tourist, Emeris. "The poverty was shown in the film. But there were so many other different aspects that we saw after we came here."

American tourist Bill Alves adds: "The movie is a fairytale. This trip shows things are a little darker, a little grittier in reality."

Where do we stand on the ‘slumdog tourism' boom, Boxwishers? Is it good that people are so inspired by the Danny Boyle film that they want to see and experience the place and its poverty for themselves or is the moneyed west insulting and condescending this less affluent region?

World Bank consultant Christine Bowers believes that "the jury's still out on whether the tours are perverse invasions of privacy or eye-opening experiences that will prompt action on the poverty agenda." But what do you make of the matter? Leave a comment and let us know.

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