Brazil eyes closer ME tourism ties

Brazil will exert more efforts to increase tourism relations with Middle Eastern countries for the benefit of both sides, said the country's tourism minister Henrique Eduardo Alves.
 
Speaking exclusively to Travel and Tourism News Middle East after inaugurating the WTM Latin America in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he said Middle East is the region Brazil should get more close to.

"We will give more importance to the subject and discuss it with embassies and ministries from that region and ensure that a stronger partnership is established," he said.

Alves said big events in Brazil such as the Fifa World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympics, no doubt provide a major boost to tourism, but that's not enough.

"We must make tourists worldwide think about us all the time and not just during these big events," he stated.

"Brazil is so diverse and still unexplored.  Even Brazilians themselves don't know enough about their own country. We need to work more to promote our tourism facilities," said the minister.

The partnership between the government and private players in the tourism sector should grow, he added.
 
Meanwhile, a major report presented at the WTM Latin America, revealed that the inbound arrivals to Latin America were expected to increase by 4.4 per cent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) between 2013 and 2018.

After under-performing the global average over the last several years, the region is expected to outperform the projected world average of four per cent, said the first WTM Latin America Trends Report released at the event in association with Euromonitor International.

In 2013, Latin America had registered a total of 84 million arrivals, representing three per cent growth over the previous year. Of this, Mexico accounted for 30 per cent of total arrivals, mainly due to its proximity to the biggest source market for Latin America – the US.

Brazil came a distant second with an eight per cent share of the total arrivals.

Visa requirements, crowded flights, bad infrastructure and language are strong barriers to growth for international tourism to the country, the report pointed out.

The top five countries in the region - Mexico, Brazil, Argentina (7 per cent), Dominican Republic (6 per cent) and Chile (4 per cent) accounted for almost 55 per cent of the total inbound traffic, it added.

Economic recession in the main source markets (north America and Eurozone) negatively impacted arrivals in Latin America between 2008 and 2013, the report said.

However, the stablisation of the economy in those regions is expected to increase arrivals in Latin America over the following five years, it stated.

The rising income levels in the region will also boost the intra-regional tourism, said the report.
“Latin Americans prioratise travel above everything else when it comes to discretionary spending,” the report added.

Brazilian inbound tourism will benefit from increased awareness underpinned by the 2014 Fifa World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, it said.

However, tourism still is not a major factor in the gross domestic product (GDP) of Brazil, remarked Alexis Frick, the Euromonitor Consultant, presenting the report.

The report also pointed out that family trips were becoming more popular among regional tourists and it was now common to see Argentinians and Brazilians flying abroad with their families for vacations.

The study found that while in emerging markets, luxury travel remains a status symbol for the rich, mature luxury markets have shifted towards authentic experiences.

There are growing numbers of Brazilian luxury consumers keen to experience this type of luxury, it stated.

Another key trend noticed in the report has been the growing multi-generational family group tours. These tours tend to be highly organised, often with specialised activities for each generation, ranging from grandparents to young children.

The notion of guilt free travel is also expanding with sustainable options being key to many luxury holidays, such as using locally grown produce and offering guests eco-based experiences, the report added.-TradeArabia News Service