Iguazú National Park will have private resources for tourism and conservation improvements

The Iguazú National Park (PR), one of the most visited in Brazil, will have resources from the private sector to improve the service to visitors and the conservation of the place. In an auction held this Tuesday (03.22) by the Ministry of the Environment, with the support of BNDES, for the concession of tourist services in the Park, Consórcio Novo PNI offered the highest bid, R$ 375 million, and won the authorization to administer the park for 30 years.

The auction for the concession of the Iguazú National Park is considered one of the largest ever held in the sector, since it is a place with consolidated infrastructure and an average visit of more than 2 million tourists per year.

“This is a great step for Brazilian tourism. We need attractive tourism products that provide an unforgettable experience to visitors, especially in the nature segment, a national and global trend. This is an important business opportunity that will generate employment and development for our country”, highlighted the Minister of Tourism, Gilson Machado Neto.

The concession project foresees investments of more than R$ 500 million in new infrastructure, which includes improvements for the public, biodiversity conservation and development of the surrounding cities, in addition to another R$ 3 billion for the operation and maintenance of the services.

The new concession has the potential to double the number of visitors to the park, with expansion of the concession area and investments capable of increasing the attractiveness of the visit, according to the Minister of the Environment, Joaquim Leite.

“The Ministry of the Environment creates policies for protection, development, generation of green jobs, which is what is going to happen now in a relevant way, where the concessionaire will assume the role of receiving these visitors and with new attractions. In addition, it will have the obligation to bring protection infrastructure and support to the territory,” he said. "We will also bring three new centers, 13 new municipalities that will benefit from this new concession, which will bring development and job creation and economic growth," concluded Leite.

Representing the Ministry of Tourism at the auction, held in São Paulo (SP), Débora Gonçalves, national secretary for Investment Attraction, Associations and Concessions, reinforces that the concession of the park will be a great tool for the development of the entire region.

“The concession of the National Park positively affects the entire productive chain of tourism in the surrounding cities and even in the entire state of Paraná. In addition, the three new sections that will be created with the new concession will attract even more tourists to the park. Hotels, restaurants, bars and other surrounding segments will be stimulated, moving the region's economy more and more”, he highlights.

CONCESSION - The public notice incorporates aspects related to financial sustainability, preservation of the environment and concern for the surrounding communities. The new company will be able to establish special packages for visits of more than one day, with the aim of encouraging the stay of tourists. In addition, the residents of the 13 municipalities that surround the park will have a discount on admission and will pay 20% of the maximum amount provided.

Public notice also satisfies various demands of local communities during the public consultation and hearing phases. Among them, the increase in the amount that the concessionaire must invest in socio-environmental projects (from 5% to 6% of total income).

Created in 1939, the Iguazú National Park is located in the city of Foz do Iguaçu, in Paraná, and covers an area of ​​almost 200 thousand hectares. It is the largest reserve of the Atlantic Forest that remains in the region and has the title of Natural Heritage of Humanity. The main tourist attraction of the park is the Iguazú Falls, elected one of the Seven Wonders of Nature in 2011. The Park also protects a rich biodiversity of Brazilian fauna and flora, some of which are in danger of extinction, such as the jaguar and the broad -yellow snout alligator.