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MTUR
CARLOS BRITO: “BRAZIL ALWAYS EXCEEDS THE EXPECTATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS”
Minister of Tourism guarantees that foreign visitors are positively surprised when visiting the country
Minister of Tourism, Carlos Brito Photo: Eric Ribeiro
A country prepared to receive international tourists. This is how the Minister of Tourism, Carlos Brito, sees Brazil today. “We are on the right path and ready to receive visitors from all over the world, consolidating Brazil as a trend destination for international tourists”, he says. According to him, it is unacceptable that a country like Brazil, which has hosted the World Cup and the Olympics, remains for decades without registering a significant increase in the number of foreign visitors. Check out the full interview below.
MERCADO & EVENTOS - Has Brazil already overcome the impacts of the pandemic and is it 100% ready to receive international tourists?
Carlos Brito - In 2020, as a result of the pandemic, international tourist arrivals fell by 66%, from 6.3 million in 2019 to 2.1 million in 2020. In other words, Brazil stopped receiving 4 million tourists. The closing of borders has impacted global tourism, not just in Brazil. But, now, we are experiencing a moment of resumption of travel in the country, with numbers that demonstrate that pre-pandemic levels are very close to being reached on the domestic scenario, which also impacts the attraction of international tourists. Our international air network is already operating at about 70% of the capacity observed in 2019. Recently, we had the announcement of the resumption of flights between Rio de Janeiro and Atlanta, in the United States, as well as flights departing from Manaus and Belém to , also to the United States. We are on the right path and prepared to receive tourists from all over the world, consolidating Brazil as a trend destination for international tourists.
M&E - Is the number of international tourists who visit Brazil and then return on new trips large?
Carlos Brito - According to the Tourism Statistical Yearbook of the Ministry of Tourism, 95.4% of international tourists who visited our country intend to return. Thus, I believe that we have everything to achieve the same numbers as the pre-pandemic scenario, and why not, exceed them. We are, in fact, also prepared to exceed the expectations of foreign tourists. Within this strategy, the federal government transformed Embratur into an international promotion agency, so that we can promote Brazil more and attract an increasing number of international tourists. Our country brings together the most diverse options for those looking for travel and tourism experiences, whether in the nature, sun and beach, gastronomic, cultural, among others. We have options and destinations for all tastes.
M&E - Is air connectivity a problem that needs to be solved to attract more international visitors?
Carlos Brito - We are working together with the airlines so that we can increasingly strengthen our connectivity, after all, without connectivity there is no tourism. We are aware of the difficulties that the entire sector has gone through, but new flights are being announced throughout Brazil. From now on, we expect only positive news, with tourism growing more and more and airlines showing interest in increasing their air network, counting on the support of the Federal Government to make this a reality.
M&E - What message would you give to English tourists who have not yet had the opportunity to visit Brazil?
Carlos Brito - Upon arriving in Brazil, they will be sure that our country exceeds the expectations of any foreign tourist. When it comes to Ecotourism, there is no other country better than ours.
