The chairman of the Brazilian Tourism Institute (Embratur), Jeanine Pires, estimates that the entry of funds into the country generated by foreign tourism should exceed US$ 10 billion a year by 2010. The promising number presented to businessmen from Rio de Janeiro is part of the Aquarela (Watercolour) Plan, which forecasts a greater number of foreign tourists visiting Brazil.
Last year, the funds spent by foreign tourists in Brazil reached almost US$ 5 billion. "In the month of January of this year alone we received almost US$ 600 million. I therefore believe that we may have good surprises in the case of foreign funds," she forecasted.
Launched in 2005, Aquarela Plan is at its second phase. The forecast is that the number of international tourists be increased from the current 5.5 million a year to 7.9 million a year by 2010. In the revision of the plan for the period from 2007 to 2010, the expenses of these tourists in the country were estimated at US$ 7.7 billion.
According to Jeanine Pires, one of the results expected in the plan is the increase of job generation in the sector. She said that, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Brazil should be among the ten countries in the world that generate most jobs in tourism by 2018. The WTTC is a forum for leaders of global companies in the sector.
The chairman at the Embratur also said that he plans to diversify the offer of Brazilian products. According to Jeanine Pires, 98% of the tourists who come to the country say that they want to return to visit other areas and that they would recommend the country to other visitors. "Therefore, it is up to us to make the world know the opportunities the country offers," she concluded.
Domestic Air Travel
The number of passengers carried by Brazilian airlines grew 2.8% in January 2008 compared with the same month last year, from 9.7 million to 9.97 million people. The data were taken from a balance disclosed by the Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company (Infraero).
To the Civil Aviation secretary at the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier Jorge Godinho Nery, the figures are proof that Brazilian citizens trust the safety of the civil aviation system. "People are still travelling because they really trust the system. If they had no trust, they would not fly," he says. The secretary claims that safety is a key item to the ministry.
Godinho also states that the growth in demand makes investing in airport infrastructure even more necessary. "The government is working to harmonize the entire airport infrastructure and the increased demand, so that we may have an installed airport infrastructure capable of catering to that demand."
The Brigadier highlighted the importance to the sector of works, both forecasted and underway, implemented by means of the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) of the Brazilian federal government.
ABr
