President Lula da Silva has been laying down his countries ambitions for their tourism industry over the next 8 years. Already hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2014, Brazil is keen to stamp its authority on the global tourism stage with a successful bid for the 2016 Olympic Games. In a very interesting global summit on travel and tourism, delegates from around the world gathered to discuss the key issues concerning the industry today. Given the state of the global economy many believe this to be the most important conference yet, and President da Silva was keen to take advantage of such an opportunity.
The attraction of Brazil is obvious to many – year round sunshine, beautiful beaches and a party atmosphere and a low cost of living ticks many boxes on the tourist checklist. However, President da Silva used the platform as an opportunity to talk about the responsibility of governments in ensuring the travel and tourism industry continues to grow not just in Brazil but also in South America. Furthermore, he talked about the need to make travel and tourism accessible to every Brazilian citizen and not just the wealthy elite.
Speaking at some length on the airline sector, the President stressed the importance of opening affordable air routes to cater for the masses. “How do we expect Brazilian tourism to work if we don’t have, for example, more competitive flights from the airline sector? “How do we expect a Brazilian gets to know South America if we have few flights to South America? Or how do we expect South American travels to Brazil if the flights from South America to here are few?” the president said. Freedom of mobility was the underlying theme, a vision where all South Americans are able to explore their great continent, as well as bridging the continental gap between Africa and Brazil.
Bold words by the leader, but with the government already pledged to spend US$304 billion in infrastructure, providing 4,700kms of railroads and considerable upgrades to all airports, roads and existing railroads, the next 8 years could be very interesting indeed.
