Twenty-eight foreign operators positioned themselves at their tables and received a different representative of the destinations, the hotel sector or the Brazilian reception agencies every five timed minutes. With a focus on generating new businesses, Embratur held this Tuesday (26th) morning in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), the first edition of 'Specialists in Brazil', a new program that aims to expand the connection between Brazilian and foreign tourism companies. , to increase the marketing abroad of travel packages to Brazil.
Sebrae is a partner of Embratur in this program that, in addition to relationship meetings, also carries out famtours, with sustainable and regenerative tourism experiences, virtual and in-person training. Operators who participate in the activities receive “Specialist in Brazil” certificates, accessing a dedicated relationship with the Embratur team.
The 28 operators from the United States, United Kingdom, Colombia and Mexico who participated in this edition were divided into three groups and had the experience of getting to know, in a 5-day famtour, the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo. They all traveled to Rio this Tuesday, where they were able to meet with 38 representatives of the national tourism sector.
The president of Embratur, Marcelo Freixo, spoke about the importance of the initiative, resumed after a pause of more than a decade. “This event model, with famtours followed by a large round of negotiations, has not been held for 14 years. We resume because we understand that business generation increases, which means that more tourists come to Brazil. “We brought, for example, afrotourism operators from the United States, and here they were able to learn about our Afro-Brazilian culture and history, and they are already returning home with commercial agreements with agencies specialized in receiving tourists interested in this experience,” he stated.
Famtours aims to offer conditions so that representatives of foreign companies that sell packages to Brazil can live experiences as tourists. At the business conference, the dialogue with representatives of Brazilian companies specialized in receiving these tourists allows, in addition to the generation of new commercial agreements, the adaptation of products to the consumer profile.
A partner of Embratur throughout the program, Sebrae was represented at the event by the Tourism coordinator in Rio de Janeiro, Marisa Cardoso. “Tourism goes far beyond dream trips. It is a generator of employment and income and boosts the local economy. “Sebrae prepares small companies in the chain to innovate in quality products and memorable experiences, and this alliance with Embratur is essential for them to gain scale in new markets,” she stated.
Approved The new 'Specialists in Brazil' was approved by public and private managers. “Events of this nature contribute a lot to the promotion of Rio and the country, it is a way to bring travel agents and operators closer together. I congratulate President Freixo for the initiative to resume this type of fundamental event,” highlights Nilo Sérgio, Undersecretary of Tourism of the State of Rio de Janeiro.
“I think it is extremely important to resume this event. For international operators knowing the destination is much easier to sell than looking at the website. In the past we held many meetings of this type, which unfortunately were left aside over time. I see the return of this format with a lot of positivity,” highlighted Francisco Avas, former Marketing Director of Embratur and businessman of a tourism agency that works in welcoming foreigners.
Foreign operators also approved the format of the event. “It was my first time in Brazil and I am in love with everything we were able to do in Bahia for afrotourism. We know that Brazil has the second largest black population in the world, but many people don't know it,” said Martinique Lewis, of ABV Travel Greenbook App, in the United States.
“We are happy to be able to bring more black travelers here. Black workers in the United States spend $129 billion a year on tourism. Brazil must be part of this, so that we can meet people who look like us, who cook the same food as us, who talk and dance like us. Culture is the heart of Brazil,” Martinique added.
María Josefina Ortiz López, from Link Overseas Travel, from Mexico, got to know São Paulo with a different perspective. “Our expectations were low because we thought of São Paulo only as a business city, but in reality we had an incredible surprise to see a green, clean, very friendly city, with museums, parks, with a lot of gastronomy, and that deserves to stay three or four days to discover this beautiful experience,” he said.
What delighted Nicole Louise Mifsud, from Latin Routes, in the United Kingdom, was “the people.” She visited Rio de Janeiro and spoke about the itinerary that she intends to promote among English tourists. “Pão de Açúcar is very incredible, but also all the cultural programming; getting to know samba and the people of Rio. The people are incredible, we were very well received. It is great to live in an incredible environment,” she highlighted.
Participating in the event are the director of International Marketing, Business and Sustainability of Embratur, Jaqueline Gil, the coordinator of Alliances and Market Development of the Agency, Carina Camara, the executive director of Visit Rio, Roberta Werner, and the director of Marketing of the Municipal Secretary of Rio de Janeiro Tourism, Fabiana Misse.