Serenaders from Diamantina, in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Story tellers from Santa Tereza, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Colored sand bottles and Portuguese tiles from Aracati, in the northeastern state of Ceará. What do these attractions have in common? They have recently been rediscovered in Brazil and included in the tourist program of the cities.

The three cities integrate the Brazilian Tourism and Culture Movement, which is renewing the image of some destinations in the country.

"The intention is to rescue history and add value to local cultural aspects," stated Cássio Oliveira, from the Institute of Hospitality, one of the partners in the program. And, thus, attract more tourists.

The project began in 2004. Up to now, seven destinations have been worked within the process to rescue the identity: apart from Diamantina, Santa Tereza and Aracati, Bonito, in Mato Grosso, in the Midwest of the country; the historic center of Salvador in northeastern Brazil; Penedo, in Alagoas, also in the Northeast and the city of Goiás, in the state of Goiás, in the Midwest, also received the help of technicians from the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) and from the Hospitality Institute to implement the program.

"The target is to reach 24 destinations up to the end of 2006," explained Oliveira. The project also has the support of the ministries of Tourism, Culture and Environment.

The movement was inspired on concepts of the Sebrae Brazilian Face study. The study, coordinated by Italian sociologist Domenico De Masi, was made in 2002 and identified aspects of the Brazilian culture that should be included in the creation of products and services, especially handcraft.

The result was once again the demonstration of the Brazilian vocation for cultural diversity and also showed that the country has many faces. It also provided an important clue to the tourism sector: the hospitality of the Brazilian people may be a differential when selling the country image abroad.

The Brazilian Tourism and Culture Movement brought together all the information in the study, including the point about hospitality, and took the first step: the work for the rescue and strengthening of various cultural manifestations in the cities, be it in the form of music, dance, cuisine or handicraft.

The pilot project was made in Diamantina. "The historic city is a consolidated destination in Brazil. There are many tourist attractions, baroque architecture, it is the hub of the Royal Highway, is surrounded by parks," stated Christiano Braga, the coordinator of the culture area at the Sebrae.

However, there are other cities in the "circuit of historic cities," as is the case with Ouro Preto and Mariana, with the same attractions. Therefore, it was necessary to renew. "The community needed to be more involved, it was necessary to restart forgotten practices and create a differentiated program," explained Oliveira.

The activities of the serenader, who serenaded on nights of full moon, the spectacles of Gregorian chanting, the handicraft made out of coconuts, gold and precious gems, the typical food of the tropeiros - travellers who led the cattle from one site to another  -, were rescued, entering the tourist routine of the city.

The first concrete result was seen last year, between October 8 and 12, when a party was organized to show all the attractions that were rediscovered. The event entered the city calendar and should take place again this year. Although there are still no figures regarding the economic impact, the tourist flow and sales of handicraft grew after the party.

According to Oliveira, the work has now been passed on to the community. "An NGO, Diamantina Sempre Viva (Eternally Alive Diamantina), was created to take care of continuation of the program," he explained.

This is one of the important points of the movement: it is administered by the community itself. However, contact continues.

"We have created an intelligent network, divided into themes like music, hospitality and architecture, where people exchange information all the time," explained Oliveira. Once a year there is also a meeting to present the results.

More Tourists

The Brazil Tourism and Culture Movement adds to a federal government program to transform the country into one of the 20 most attractive tourists destinations in the world: the Aquarela Plan.

This year, the Ministry of Tourism, in partnership with the Brazilian Tourism Institute (Embratur), defined marketing actions in Brazil and abroad to develop tourism in the country.

The Brazil Brand has also been created, following the example of Mexico, Canada and Italy, which have strong brands. The logo is on all the promotional material made by the ministry and may also be used by Brazilian companies.

To define the strategy, the ministry has done research with over 6,000 people in 18 countries. The resources for the project are of around US$ 1.7 million.

With the program, the intention is to attract more tourists and answer to the demand stipulated by the ministry for 2007: 9 million visitors and around US$ 8 billion in revenues for the country. The number is more than double that registered in 2004, when around 4.1 million foreign travellers came to Brazil.

This article appeared originally in the Anba site.

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