The Minister of Tourism, Marx Beltrão (photo), announced a new program called Brasil + Turismo (“Tourism + Brazil”), a set of measures to strengthen the sector in the country. The program includes various actions to reduce bureaucracy in the sector, increase tourist flow, issue electronic visas, expand the network of regional routes, and open 100% of the capital of national airlines to foreign investors. The government expects these measures to generate more jobs in the sector.
“The Brasil + Turismo program was created to correct a historical misunderstanding and allow tourism to be seen as a protagonist in job and income creation. The time has come for tourism to shine,” said Beltrão.
An important measure is the change in the Brazilian Aeronautics Code that will open 100% of the capital of Brazilian airlines to foreign investment, aiming to increase their competitiveness, expand the network of regional flights, and increase the number of domestic flights.
“Our goal is to increase competitiveness among companies and, consequently, reduce prices and offer more routes and destinations. This initiative has the support of the population,” Beltrão added.
More Tourists
The ministry expects the number of foreign tourists in the country to grow from the 6.5 million who came to Brazil in 2016 to 12 million in 2022, and that visitor revenue expands from the current US$ 6 billion annually to US$ 19 billion in the same period.
Another expected impact of the measure is the inclusion of 40 million Brazilians in the travel consumer market. Currently, less than half of the Brazilian population travels every year (about 60 million).
The Brasil + Turismo program also aims to create nearly 6 million jobs in the sector. Worldwide, the tourism sector accounts for one in every 11 jobs (9%), according to figures from the World Tourism Organization (WTO). In Brazil, tourism directly and indirectly employs 7 million people.
General Tourism Law
Another measure makes changes to the legal status and name of Embratur, currently the Brazilian Institute of Tourism. The idea is to transform it from an autarchy into an Autonomous Social Service and rename it the Brazilian Agency for Tourism Promotion. With the changes, Embratur, now a more independent government agency, will be able to operate more competitively in the international tourism market and attract private resources to develop projects. The funds to finance the new Embratur will come from a percentage of federal lottery revenues.
Another important action of Brasil + Turismo is the submission of a bill to Congress for urgent voting, which would modernize the General Tourism Law by reducing bureaucracy and strengthening public-private partnerships in the tourism sector.
The government also plans initiatives to better utilize areas owned by the federal government with tourism potential, better training programs, and stronger and more autonomous government agencies related to tourism at the state level.
Source: BrazilGovNews