The Netherlands may have shattered Brazil’s World Cup dreams this year, but the nation’s hopes are now pinned firmly on 2014 when they will host the next tournament.
The tourist board has been waiting with bated breath for July 11, and not just because they enjoy a World Cup final as much as the next football fan. It’s the date when South Africa ceases to be the host nation and passes the ball to Brazil, which will unleash a multimillion-dollar global promotional campaign.
This sits alongside massive investment in the country. Beyond the stadiums themselves, the Brazilian government is plunging £1.7 billion into infrastructure, landscaping and transport around the 12 host cities. The ProCup Hotels programme will invest £345 million in increasing the number of rooms to 55,000.
New hotels already in the pipeline include 15 Hyatts and a range of openings from Accor. Even Brazil’s major sites are being spruced up: the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio is being cleaned.
Brazil is already becoming more popular with British visitors. The UK popped up a place to number 10 on the list of countries sending the most visitors to Brazil in 2009, with 172,600 arrivals. But with a target of eight million foreign visitors by 2014, the country is keen to expand numbers from the UK – a market seen as one with plenty of room to grow.
The tourist board has already launched initiatives to attract tourists, including Google Brazil, the world’s first Google/YouTube channel combining maps and videos in an interactive site.
At youtube.com/visitbrasil you can show clients what they can see and do at each destination. And you can recommend that they download Embratur’s new, free mobile phone app guides to 10 of the country’s biggest cities at embratur.gov.br/mobile.
In March, April and May Embratur ran a series of roadshows, attended by 450 agents. However, the tourist board discovered that only 20 agents had visited Brazil. This low figure spurred the tourist board to invite agents who attended these events to join them on a programme of five fam trips run in conjunction with British Airways, Tam and TAP in October this year.
While places for this round of fams are full, there will be two further roadshows this year, in Oxford and Cambridge on September 7 and 8. To attend, email ebt.uk@embratur.gov.br.
Embratur’s most recent launch is Visit Brasil Sensational, a travel and cultural association including tour operators, airlines and hoteliers in its membership, and designed to promote the country as a tourist destination.
Activities currently being planned by VBS include events, fam trips, agent training workshops and webinars and advertising and PR campaigns. To find out more, log on to visitbrasilsensational.org.
Brazil highlights
Rio de Janeiro: One of the world’s great cities, vibrant and exciting. Visitors love the nightlife, the urban beaches at Copacabana and Ipanema, taking the cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain and visiting the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer.
Iguacu Falls: Viewed from the banks, from a boat or from a helicopter, the falls look amazing. There are 275 waterfalls stretching 1.8 miles across the river.
The Amazon: The tropical rainforest surrounding the world’s largest river is a huge draw for tourists, usually visiting out of the gateways of Belem and Manaus. The Brazilian Amazon is famed for the pink dolphin, and for the ‘Meeting of the waters’, where the sandy Rio Solimoes and the darker Rio Negro join and, for some distance, fail to mix.
The Pantanal: The world’s largest wetland area is a giant ecosystem teeming with bird and animal life, including the hyacinth macaw, jaguar, maned wolf, bush dog and crowned solitary eagle. Visitors can even fish for piranhas.
Salvador: Bahia’s state capital was Brazil’s first large city, and is still full of baroque churches and cobbled streets. The coast of this state is home to some of Brazil’s most stunning beaches.
Fernando de Noronha: Brazil’s equivalent to Galapagos, this 21-island archipelago is a pristine paradise which allows no more than 450 tourists entry at a time. It’s an eco reserve with great beaches, surfing opportunities, fabulous diving and snorkelling; clients can see sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and rare fish.
Brasilia: The country’s capital is 50 years old this year and the only 20th-century city with Unesco World Heritage Site status. The main buildings, designed by Brazil’s most famous architect, Oscar Niemeyer, are beautiful modernist creations – recommend clients visit the Cathedral and the National Museum.
Carnival: Rio’s famous carnival centres on the Sambadrome parade ground. However, the whole of Brazil goes wild in February – there’s no bad place to be for carnival, though bear in mind it is particularly busy and clients will need to book far in advance.
Brazil update
Specialist operator JTB, better-known for its Japan range, has introduced tours to Brazil. Having linked up with NTS, the Scandinavian market leader to Brazil, JTB now has specialist Brazil staff in its London office. The operator offers holidays for first-time visitors and for special-interest trips (diving, carnival, hiking and ecotourism), but the biggest interest has been in tailor-made itineraries. JTB offers agents 10% commission.
TAM is starting a non-stop Heathrow-Rio de Janeiro link on August 9, flying three times a week on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday evenings. It also flies to Sao Paulo. The new flights take TAM up to 10 UK direct flights a week; BA also has 10. TAM, TAP and Iberia all offer many indirect flights through Europe.
