A tour of one of the world’s biggest slums has been voted tourists’ most popular attraction in India, according to a travel site.

The sprawling Dharavi slum in Mumbai just became the favourite tourist experience of 2019 in India and even beat the Taj Mahal, said travel site TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards.

A small group tour of the Dharavi slums - usually by someone who grew up in them - is the top most preference of tourists who visit the country

Dharavi, which is the largest slum of Asia, won the top position on the Top 10 Experiences list in India and also made it to the '10 Travellers’ Choice Experiences 2019 in Asia' list.

Slum tours around the world have become more and more popular in recent years and are the source of much discussion over their ethics.

Critics claim they are exploitative and poor areas are even cleared out or ‘sanitised’ by police before tourists visit, meaning those who live in these areas are forced to go along.

Proponents however say any responsible tour is carried out by proud residents who show that their home is more than a slum and promote the enterprise and ingenuity within them.