Rio de Janeiro prepares its summer season with sanitary protocols

Rio de Janeiro is ready to safely receive tourists who wish to enjoy the summer of 2021 in the “Cidade Maravilhosa” and its surroundings. It is the perfect destination for those who want to explore stunning natural and urban landscapes, in a unique conjunction, found nowhere else in the world.

Rio is the first city in the world to receive the title of World Heritage as a UNESCO Cultural Landscape, home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, Christ the Redeemer, and in 2019 it was recognized by the World Travel Awards as the best destination for sports tourism in South America. The plurality of culture and lifestyle in Rio, with its local cuisine with special flavor and spices; makes Rio de Janeiro a unique and complete destination, ranging from the urban landscape to the green of places like Floresta da Tijuca, which enchants with the fauna, native species and waterfalls that are hidden there.

In addition to Rio, with its beaches, urban forests and cultural centers, the state offers incredible attractions just a few hours from the city of Rio, by land. In Buzios and other municipalities of the “Região dos Lagos”, visitors will find beaches with crystal clear waters and great opportunities for practicing water sports. On the shore, which became world famous for enchanting the French actress Brigitte Bardot, the visitor finds a thriving gastronomic center, capable of surprising. In the Costa Verde Region, Paraty, a UNESCO World Heritage Portuguese colonial city, and the 365 islands of the Angra dos Reis archipelago stand out, one of them the famous “Ilha Grande”, with an emerald sea. In the mountainous region, where tourists find parks and lush nature,

“We are very happy to be able to welcome Argentines back to Rio de Janeiro, after all the neighboring country is extremely important for tourism in the city. We are attentive and committed to your wishes and needs, to receive them in the best way in the Marvelous City. All sectors, from the airport to hotels, restaurants and places of interest, are duly prepared and applying all the necessary biosecurity measures and protocols to protect the health of our visitors ”, says Roberta Werner, executive director of Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau .

RIOgaleão's actions against Covid-19
As the main gateway for international visitors in Brazil, RIOgaleão reinforced all biosecurity protocols to guarantee a safe experience for travelers, becoming the first airport in Brazil to obtain the Safe Travels seal, of the WTTC (World Travel & Tourism Council). The seal, which is global in scope and supported by the World Tourism Organization, ensures that Rio de Janeiro's gateway is a safe destination for visitors. The city of Rio de Janeiro was also certified with this same seal this end of the year.
Among the measures, the mandatory use of masks, social distance, priority for online check-in and the use of technology to reduce contact, with the heat map of the terminal that allows to identify agglomerations stand out. Temperature measurement and improved hygiene are also part of the routine. For this reason, RIOgaleão also won the Rio de Janeiro Conscious Tourism Seal, awarded by the Rio de Janeiro State Tourism Secretariat (SETUR-RJ) to establishments in the Rio de Janeiro tourism sector, as a way to identify hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions and terminals that are following the necessary protocols to guarantee the health safety of their visitors.

“The Rio de Janeiro Conscious Tourism Seal was essential to give confidence to travelers at this time. The great search for the website on the Internet gave the certainty that this tool, built by SETUR-RJ, was essential to attract tourists. " said Gustavo Tutuca, Secretary of State for Tourism of Rio de Janeiro.

Inside the aircraft, passengers will find a safe and sanitized environment. The air recycling system on board is equipped with HEPA or “High Efficiency Particulate Air” filters, identical to those used in hospital operating rooms, which completely renew the cabin air every 3 minutes.

“At this time of return to operations, we need to offer health security and regain the trust of our passengers. We are living the union of the entire tourism sector in this resumption, so that the entire visitor experience is aligned with the best practices. RIOgaleão reaffirms itself as the gateway for tourism in Brazil, offering these guarantees to passengers ”says Patrick Fehring, director of Aerobusiness at RIOgaleão.

In Rio, union of the sector for a safe return
To strengthen the destiny of Rio de Janeiro in the domestic and foreign market, the state's tourism sector has invested in actions to guarantee the health safety of guests and employees. In addition to state certification, the Rio de Janeiro hotel industry also complies with two other important health protocols: 'Xô Corona' (Goodbye Crown), from the city of Rio; and Sustainable Tourism, from the Ministry of Tourism of Brazil.

The Union of Hotels of Rio de Janeiro (Hotéis Rio) and the Brazilian Association of the Hotel Industry of the State of Rio de Janeiro (ABIH-RJ) also launched the 'Hidden Guest' project, a certification action built to support the hosting companies that seek excellence in their services. The project was created to provide guests with an additional assurance that equipment is meeting 100% of established standards.

“The hotels in Rio de Janeiro strictly follow the WHO guidelines and have followed the most modern sanitary protocols, including quality seals at the municipal and state level. We have adapted check-ins, restaurants, apartment cleaning and all internal processes to guarantee safety and preserve our guests and employees. Tourist spots also continue with adapted operations. With all the protocols in place from boarding on a plane; our city is ready to offer visitors the best of Rio de Janeiro. We have great expectations for the most anticipated season of the year ”, explains Paulo Michel, president of ABIH-RJ.

Since the beginning of the health emergency decree, RIOgaleão activated the COVID-19 combat plan, which included training and prevention actions with the airport community, companies that provide auxiliary services to air transport and other service providers. With the resumption of movement in the terminal, a series of measures were put in place to guarantee the safety of passengers and the airport community, recalling that international airports are subjected to much more rigid inspections than other passenger terminals and that, for Having a National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in its facilities, RIOgaleão is subjected to constant regulation and control of security measures.

The Airport continued to implement constant measures so that RIOgaleão remained a safe and clean place for all and worked on several fronts with a cleaning and disinfection approach, intensifying procedures and training professionals, in order to ensure that the airport continues to be a safe and sanitized space for the movement of people.

Tom Jobim International Airport remained 100% active, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The spaciousness of the Tom Jobim International Airport is one of its positive differentials to avoid crowds.

In the most critical period of the disease in Brazil, the airport's cargo terminal received supplies and equipment for health, ordered by the City of Rio, to reinforce care for patients with Covid-19. Respirators, masks and monitors were brought, among other essential elements for the treatment of those infected by the coronavirus.

During the quarantine months, RIOgaleão launched an incentive program for airlines at Tom Jobim International Airport, with the aim of making the best possible costs for these companies, fighting for the continuity of their operations. The resumption of airport activities is important not only for RIOgaleão itself, but also for the city and state of Rio de Janeiro, since the equipment contributes an important part of the economy and generates and maintains more than 170 thousand jobs : the chain that drives, not to mention the socioeconomic value of air cargo transport, in addition to being important for the transit of health professionals throughout the country.