18 May 2009

Brazil president pushes tourism agenda

Better airports, new roads and a regionalisation of the airline industry were proposed by the president of Brazil as a way to boost the country’s tourism at the opening of the 9^th Global Travel and Tourism Summit in Florianopolis.

"Maybe we have the largest potential for tourism in the world….Brazil has 2,600 museums, but no one has ever published that fact," said Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil.

"We need to facilitate better travel…we need to invest in them (regional airlines) to start with before they become profitable."

The president was addressing the World Tourism & Travel Council’s annual summit in Brazil, which sees leaders in the sector gathered to discuss opportunities for the industry over two days.

For the host country the annual event is about showcasing investment opportunities, confidence in the sector and the potential for tourism.

"I’ve never seen a country with so much promise and with so many raw materials for the tourism industry as Brazil," said Geoffrey Kent, chairman of the WTTC.

WTTC chose to host its annual summit in a country where tourism is bucking the global downturn, a sector which has largely been tempered by the economic and financial crisis.

"We had a robust summer of growth," says Luiz Eduardo, the tourism minister of Brazil, "with 20% growth in all segments."

The Brazilian president went on to say that tourism related infrastructure has been earmarked for considerable investment including the upgrade of airports and road networks -- specifically to Argentina. He highlighted the need to boost flights to Africa and route networks with Bolivia and Peru, as well as China.

Lula da Silva also talked about the need to reinvigorate the aviation sector in Brazil through public-private investment, regionalisation and the promotional of domestic and international routes.

"How can a Brazilian go to Machu Picchu or Cusco without any air connections," explained Lula da Silva.

Brazil is also preparing for the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the potential it has to draw tourists to the country. More than 500,000 overseas visitors are expected over the 30 day period. This will represent ten per cent of the annual visitors to the country.

"We want to prepare Brazil for the World Cup in 2014…we are training 80,000 tourism professionals to learn English and Spanish," said Eduardo at the opening ceremony.

*See linked Summit stories.