Ecotourism destinations were also highlights in Brazil’s 20th participation at the World Travel Market
The importance of an Olympic event to promote the country to the world was the subject of a conversation between the Minister of Tourism, Henrique Eduardo Alves, and the president of Visit Britain, the British promotion agency, Christopher Rodrigues, during the World Travel Market London, one of the world’s leading tourism fairs held in November.
Christopher said that investments in the period before the games are as important as the marketing during and after the event. According to him, most funds (60%) were allocated for promotion of the country after the London 2012 Olympic Games, a strategy that increased the number of foreign visitors in the country.
“We have to take advantage of successful examples and adapting them to the reality of Brazil and still get the most exposure to the biggest sporting event provides the country,” said Minister Henrique Eduardo Alves.
Alves cited the newly opened Brazilian Tourism Office in Russia and added that other countries like India can also receive specific initiatives. “We want to be increasingly open to the world. So we are working to exempt the tourists visas in what we call the Olympic Tourism Year”, he said. The bill has been already approved by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Now the text is to be sanctioned by President Dilma Rousseff.
Last year, during the World Cup, about a thousand footballers from 32 countries were in the country. At the Olympics 2016 will be 15,000 athletes from 205 nations. FIFA’s projection is that an estimated 3.5 billion people saw the World Cup. The International Olympic Committee projected that 4.8 billion viewers around the world will be watching the Olympics. “I want the tourists to go to Rio, but also visit the Northeast, the capital Brasilia, the South and the North,” Alves said.
ECOTOURISM AND CULTURE
Vinícius Lummertz, president of Embratur
Speaking to the Brasil Observer, the president of Embratur (Brazilian Tourism Institute), Vinicius Lummertz, said: “the strategy for international tourism promotion of the country by mid-2016 focuses on the promotion of Brazil as an Olympic venue destination.” But “in order to diversify the tourism offer”, the promotion strategy during WTM 2015 also emphasized the ecotourism products and destinations in the country.
“This segment is now the second most cited by tourists visiting Brazil. Globally, Brazil currently ranks first in natural resource potential, according to the World Economic Forum research,” said Lummertz.
The destinations presented at WTM showed diverse range of Eco and Adventure products, including national parks situated in paradisiacal beaches such as Jericoacoara, and destinations that offer outdoor activities such as bird watching, like at Chapada Diamantina.
The beaches of Santa Catarina, which has infrastructure capable of meeting demands of luxury tourists, and the Iguaçu Falls, an attraction already well known, elected as one of the seven modern wonders of the world, were among the destinations presented.
Another important segment that received special interest during the WTM was Culture. “In addition to being intrinsically related to the promotion of all other segments, Brazilian cultural attractions are important tourism products alone, adding value to Brazil’s potential,” Lummertz commented.
This year the Brazil Stand had 61 members, between destinations, operators, hotels and clubs of the Brazilian tourist trade. One of the main innovations was the partnership between Embratur and the Brazilian Agency for Export and Investment Promotion (Apex-Brazil), which conducted promotional activities of Brazilian cuisine at Bar Brazil.
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