The president of Embratur (Brazilian Tourism Institute), Vinicius Lummertz, affirmed that tourism can play a fundamental role in the resumption of economic growth in Brazil. For Lummertz, it takes political courage to make tourism a priority: “We will have elections this year. We have to remind the candidates that the sector should be part of the government platforms. if isolating and developing the tourist activity can break it, “said the seminar” Tourism and the Internationalization of Brazil, “promoted by Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, last Thursday (15).

Tourism represents a growing part of the global economy, accounting for 9% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing 1/11 people internationally. Of the more than 1.2 billion tourists that travel the world, only half a percent (6.5 million) arrive in Brazil.

“Tourism must be included in the discussion agenda of Brazilian governments, it must be defended as an economic activity, to generate more jobs and produce wealth for Brazil.” Embratur needs resources to invest in international promotion. , are the transformation of the Institute into an autonomous social service (more independent than the current autarchy) and the unrestricted opening of the air sector to foreign capital, “explained Lummertz.

With PL’s approval, the first issue to be resolved will be the untying of the Union’s budget. “We already had US $ 100 million for international promotion in 2011, now we have US $ 17 million, of which US $ 10 million is contingent. of this contingency and we would go to a higher and independent volume of resources “, informed the president of Embratur. The funds will come from various sources, such as lotteries and a $ 15 fee for issuing tickets abroad.

As neighboring countries spend more and more on international promotion and modernize the structures of their organizations, Brazil acts against this history. Argentina last year invested about US $ 80 million, Colombia US $ 100 million, and Peru US $ 25 million. All of them have solid and growing international tourism flows.

The Colombian government announced that the country has surpassed the 6.5 million international visitors received in 2017. It is the same level of Brazil in 2016, the year of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Official data on the arrivals of 2017 have not yet been made available by the Ministry of Tourism. Argentines are also coming. The year 2017 was a record for the tourism of the “brothers”. There were 2.6 million international tourists only at airports, an increase of almost 8% compared to the previous year. The total estimate is over 6.6 million visitors in Argentina. Therefore, from a position as the leading country in tourism in South America, Brazil may move to a third place in the ranking, later this year. Peru, another strong competitor in Brazil, is reaching the home of 4 million foreign tourists, with growth of 30% in less than a decade.

“The bureaucracy prevents Embratur from moving in. As an autonomous social service, we will have members of the private sector in the council, who will help in the construction of the strategy with a market bias, and it is also our interest to open the capital of airlines” , said Lummertz.

For the international area, the movement of airline capital, a strong Embratur and the electronic visa for the USA, Canada, Australia and Japan and, soon for China, will be very concrete steps. “But for a sustainable development of tourism, we have to improve the business environment in Brazil, the conditions for investment in tourism.” The Brazil + Tourism program aims at this, for example, “said the president of Embratur.

In the event, national and international experts also discussed the main characteristics of the area in the country, talking about positive points and barriers to tourism, in addition to sector regulation.

The seminar “Tourism and the Internationalization of Brazil” was also attended by Ana Clévia Lima, Trade and Services Manager of Sebrae; Bernardo Cardoso, director of Turismo de Portugal in Brazil; Deborah Moraes Zouain, professor of the master’s and doctoral program in administration of Unigranrio; Francisco Costa Neto, CEO and member of the Board of the Rio Quente Group; Guilherme Amaral, partner responsible for the aeronautical law area of ​​ASBZ Advogados; Magda Nassar, president of Braztoa (Brazilian Association of Tour Operators); Marco Ferraz, president of Clia Brasil; Mariana Aldrigui, president of the Fecomercio-SP Tourism Board; Roberto Fantoni, Partner at McKinsey & Company; Rubens Schwartzmann, chairman of the board of directors of Abracorp (Brazilian Association of Corporate Agencies).

In the photo: Bernardo Cardoso, director of Turismo de Portugal in Brazil; Deborah Moraes Zouain, professor of the master’s and doctoral program in administration of Unigranrio; Magda Nassar, president of Braztoa (Brazilian Association of Tour Operators), and the president of Embratur / Press release