Embratur will partner with the German Export Promotion Agency (IPD) to support sustainable and community tourism in Brazil. The matter was discussed at the meeting this Tuesday (7) at the Berlin International Fair, between the president of Embratur, Marcelo Freixo, the deputy director of IPD, Judith Emerling, and the institution's sustainability manager, Marius Türmmich.
The German agency already provides financial assistance to initiatives related to sustainability in several countries and now plans to make Brazil the focus of actions in Latin America. The objective is, through the promotion of sustainability and community tourism, that more Europeans interested in trips of this nature visit Brazil.
According to Emmerling, tourists from Europe value experiences that do not cause an impact on carbon emissions and that generate positive impacts in small communities committed to environmental conservation, such as quilombolas, caiçaras, riverside and indigenous communities.
During the meeting, Marcelo Freixo and the Director of International Business and Marketing, Jaqueline Gil, reaffirmed that the commitment to the climate agenda is a priority commitment of the new Embratur and that a department was created to focus on the issue.
“The Brazil of sustainability and the promotion of diversity has returned, and Embratur is one of the expressions of that. We are working to make tourism a driver to involve tourism in programs to conserve forests and other biomes, protect the rights of traditional peoples, and reduce carbon emissions. In addition to being a matter of defense of life and the planet, this is a fundamental value for Brazil to be a more competitive destination in international tourism”, the president evaluated.
Air connectivity
Freixo also received Oliver Feess, New Business manager of the Condor airline, at the Embratur stand. The company, which operated lines connecting Germany with Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro, suspended all operations to Brazil between 2016 and 2019, but there is an intention to resume these flights.
According to Feess, the company, which used planes for 250 passengers, now operates with 310-seat planes. He explained that, for the flights to Brazil to be economically viable for the company, it is necessary to expand the promotion of Brazilian destinations so that more Europeans are interested in visiting the country.
“International tourism generates jobs and, in order to receive more foreign tourists, one of the main factors is the expansion of the air network that has Brazil as a destination. A study by FGV, before the pandemic, showed that for every BRL 1 invested in the international promotion of Brazilian tourism, BRL 20 is injected into the economy. We are going to work with the perspective of increasing interest in Brazil and also increasing the demand to travel and get to know our country”, explained Freixo.
This Wednesday (08), the president of Embratur will meet with the general manager of Latam in Europe and the United States, Thibaud Morand, to discuss the same topic.