The electronic visa for Japanese tourists wishing to visit Brazil began to be valid on Thursday (11). The Asian country is the second beneficiary of the initiative, which is part of a set of actions called “Brazil + Tourism”, coordinated by the Ministry of Tourism, to generate employment and income in the country through the sector.

Australia was the first country to benefit from the measure in November 2017. According to the World Tourism Organization, travel facilitation measures can increase tourist flows by up to 25% among the countries in question. In this case, there could be 20,000 more Japanese tourists.

According to an MTur survey, Brazil received 79,700 Japanese tourists who injected US $ 81.3 million into the national economy. By the projection of the WTO, with the new visa, the numbers can jump to 100 thousand travelers – 20 thousand more than the current number – and US $ 101.6 million in revenue. To publicize the electronic visa in Japan, a ceremony is scheduled for January 22 at the Brazilian Embassy in Tokyo, with the presence of the National Secretary for Tourism Qualification and Promotion, Teté Bezerra, to formalize the initiative in the country.

According to research by the Ministry of Tourism, half of the Japanese who landed in Brazil had business, events and conventions the main motivation of the trip. Twenty-eight percent were in Brazil at leisure. Of these, 67.2% were motivated by nature, ecotourism or adventure, while 18.9% were attracted by the culture.

Earlier this month, two other countries will benefit: Canada (18) and the United States (25), thereby ending the initial phase of countries considered strategic for national tourism. With the benefit, the entire period of request, payment of fees, analysis, concession and issuance of visa will last up to 72 hours against the 40 days previously required. The application for the electronic visa is valid only for leisure or business tourism.

Source: Ministry of Tourism

Photo: Press Release