The president of Embratur, Marcelo Freixo, highlighted the strengthening of the relationship between Brazil and Chile and Brazil's achievements in the tourism sector in 2023 and 2024, when talking to journalists at the opening of WTM Latin America, which started this Monday (15) and continues until Wednesday (17), in São Paulo (SP). The Agency's participation in the international tourism fair is focused on business and creating alternatives that help mitigate the impact of Argentina's economic crisis on the number of international tourists entering the country, an action that has Chileans as strategic partners.
Embratur has participated in the fair since the beginning of the Latin American edition, in 2013, with varied investments. In 2023, participation was limited to institutional visits. This year, on the first day of the event, the Agency signed Technical Cooperation Agreements (ACTs) with associations, institutes and representatives of the nautical, air and MICE tourism segments (acronym for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions/Events or Meetings , Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions/Events).
On the first day, the Agency received the Afrotourism Friendly Company award, which values destinations with black stories, personalities, cultures and professionals who work in the segment. The coordinator of Diversity, Afrotourism and Indigenous Peoples at Embratur, Tania Neres, represented the Agency at the awards and recalled how Afrotourism has been one of the priorities of the current administration.
WTM Latin America attracts, every year, 27 thousand professionals and 620 exhibiting companies from the travel and tourism sector from more than 40 countries. They come together to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry news. Of the visitors, 94% are from Latin America and 6% from other regions of the world. Owners, managers and directors represent 60% of positions. Of the exhibitors, 47% are from Brazil, 25% from countries in the Americas, 16% from Europe, 8% from Africa and the Middle East and another 4% from Asia.
“Embratur is very happy to be together with the Ministry of Tourism and partners from all over Brazil at the largest international fair taking place within Brazil. There are more than 50 countries. 2023 was the year that Brazil returned, we broke record revenue from international tourism, we surpassed the year of the World Cup, 2014, and January and February [2024] were no different. So, it is a very important moment to think about the future and make Brazil a country with open doors, with its diversity, welcoming the whole world”, stated Marcelo Freixo.
The president of the Agency also gave a brief overview of the latest achievements. “We just approved, last week, a very important law, which structures Embratur, as we got a very bad inheritance, so, we managed to structure it so that we can have a public budget and also a partnership in the public and private budget. The first year was about cleaning up the house and now it is a year of connection, of deepening, and the numbers are already showing this. Chile, which is here, for example... We had an increase in Chileans in Brazil, the result of a lot of work”, he highlighted.
Commitments and agreements signed
Among Embratur's actions at WTM 2024 is the signing of a protocol of intentions with the Institute for Local Economic Development (IDEL). The intention of the partnership is to work on a strategy to jointly promote certified destinations and enterprises and exchange experiences and good practices related to sustainable and responsible tourism. IDEL represents the Dutch Green Destinations Foundation in Brazil, a global non-profit organization that promotes the development of destinations, businesses and communities in a sustainable way.
Embratur also signed a protocol of intentions with the travel agency Decolar. The document aims to strengthen tourism in South America and mitigate the drop in the arrival of Argentine tourists in Brazil, strengthening and expanding partnerships with institutions that can join efforts to increase the potential for growth and attract tourists from other countries in the region, especially Chile. , Colombia, Peru and Paraguay, in addition to Mexico.
Another important action was the signing of the technical cooperation agreement with the International Cruise Association (Clia). The ACT is aimed at the Agency and the association developing cooperative actions to promote and publicize Brazil in nautical tourism in the international market. The main initiatives will be aimed at sea and river cruises. The agreement also provides for the sharing of images and audiovisual content of actions to promote Brazil. Embratur also signed the ACTs with the MICE entities ABEOC, ABRACORP, ALAGEV, AMPRO, UBRAFE and Unedestinos.
Records followed
Last year, Brazil received 5.9 million international tourists, 63% more than in 2022, and recorded US$6.9 billion in foreign currency inflows, the highest number since the beginning of the historical series, in 1995 . And in the first two months of 2024, which include the Brazilian summer and Carnival, foreigners left US$1.47 billion in our economy, a 30% increase compared to the same period in 2023, when the value was US$1.13 billion.
Regarding Chile, in January 2024, Brazil received 77,221 international tourists from the country, 47.8% more than the 52,217 in the same period in 2023. Still in relation to the Andean country, it was the one that recorded the highest growth in one year for the month of February, most recent data. It jumped from 58 thousand in the second month of last year to 93 thousand in the same period this year, a variation of 77.7%. In January, Chile had already broken the record for the historical series until then, with 77 thousand visitors to Brazil.
The growth helped to compensate for the drop in the arrival of Argentine tourists due to the worsening of the economic crisis in the neighboring country. In February 2024, 307 thousand Argentines arrived in Brazil, 10.7% less than the 343 thousand in 2023.
Furthermore, in 2023, Chile returned to the pre-pandemic level recorded in 2018 and regained its position as the third largest market sending tourists to Brazil, with a total of 458,576 arrivals. The number is 126% higher than that recorded in 2022, of 202,470. The main access routes in 2023 were air, with 97%, and land, with 2%.
Source: Embratur