Left: A peddler sells snacks at one of the entrances to the Santa Marta favela (shanty town) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 15, 2011. The government-supported 'Rio Top Tour' project aims to train Santa Marta residents as local guides to show the shanty town to tourists in guided visits. Santa Marta was the first favela to receive the new UPPs (Police Peacemaker Units), ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Brazilians banking on favela to bring a special dimension to World Cup and Olympics

He may sadly no longer be around to provide a musical backdrop to Saturday's World Cup draw in Rio. But the late Michael Jackson is proving a crowd-puller as tourists flock to see the favela or shanty town in the Dona Marta district where he recorded a video 15 years ago.

Since 'Wacko Jacko gyrated around the area, minders on hand just in case, the area has been 'pacified' as part of efforts by the Brazilian authorities to stem violence in time for the 2014 World Cup.

"Rio Top Tour" is a project, created by residents themselves, which has brought visitors flocking to Dona Marta with aid from the authorities, who hope that spin-offs from tourism before and during the World Cup - and also the Olympics in 2016 - will prove a boon.

"I came to see the area Michael Jackson picked out for his video but I discovered much more. I saw how people live here and how friendly the people are and I am very surprised. I really didn't know it was a favela," Belgian tourist Denis Francois said.

Francois was able, by taking the monorail high up to the top of the town, to look over Dona Marta, a maze of narrow and winding streets, and see where Jackson famously recorded his track, 'They Don't Care About Us.'

With the World Cup looming, authorities are keen to show they do care.

In the same square, Spanish student Senen Hermidia couldn't resist the urge to strike Jacksonesque poses beside a statue and a mosaic of the former "king of pop".

"I loved his stuff from when I was very young. I've never before been close to anything to do with Michael Jackson or in a place where he was," said Hermidia.

The Brazilian ministry of tourism is supporting the "Rio Top Tour", which was created in August last year and employs residents to act as guides, who can pass on their first-hand knowledge of the area and its attractions.

A tour costs about $ 15.

Salete Martins, a food vendor in the favela, is able to supplement his usual earnings by working as one of the guides.

"Tourists tell me what they're interested in and I work out a route. I like serving the visitors as it's good for business and also for the community," says Martins.

"The more people come and go home with good things about us to say the better," Martins said.

Rio authorities began a "pacification" of the favelas with an eye on 'cleaning up' the metropolis for the World Cup and the Olympic Games, increasing police presence in poor areas, many of which have been in the thrall to drug traffickers.

Santa Marta was one of the first favelas to benefit from the program in receiving special police units for the purpose.

About 20 other communities had already benefited from a similar beefing up of community police.

Even so, some intrepid tourists did come to Santa Marta before "Rio Top Tour" began to increase visitor numbers, with specialist agencies assigning them guides who were not from the community.

What "Rio Top Tour" has managed to do is draw the locals into the process and many are now benefiting, including Miranda, owner of the little bar which can be seen fleetingly in the Jackson video.

Miranda asked for a loan to expand and diversify into selling shirts imprinted with logos of the favela.

Francois, impressed with what he has seen, duly buys his 'Been there, got the T-shirt' souvenir.

While Miranda sells her shirts, another local, Leonardo Luis, has set up a stall selling traditional caipirinha drinks just opposite the Jackson statue.

In the main tourist season of November to March, local artisans also have stalls selling souvenirs.

Given the general feeling of security in Santa Marta, some tourists elect to wander around without a guide, armed only with a map and list of the main sights in English and Portuguese.

Peruvian student Erick Cerquera says he enjoyed his day out in the favela immensely.

"It was interesting to see how people live here; how they went to live on top of a hill, and also to see the city from above.

"The experience was definitely well worth it," says Cerquera.

Agence France-Presse