51st ABAV Expo: Celso Sabino, Minister of Tourism, Highlights the Growth of the Sector in Brazil

Celso Sabino highlighted the importance of ABAV Expo for strengthening the sector, highlighting the economic impact of the event and the support of the Ministry of Tourism. Sabino also emphasized the growth of tourism in Brazil, both national and international, highlighting the 10% increase in the number of foreign tourists in 2024.

He also discussed initiatives to improve air connectivity and transportation in the country, mentioning projects such as "Discover Brazil: Flying" and the International Tourism Acceleration Program. The minister praised the attractions of Belém and the Amazon, regions of great importance for sustainable and cultural tourism, and emphasized the achievements of his administration, including the strengthening of the National Tourism Council and the creation of the UN Tourism Office in Rio de Janeiro.

Travel2Latam: How many times have you attended Abav? In your opinion, what is the relevance of travel agents in contemporary tourism?

Celso Sabino: As Minister of Tourism, I had the opportunity to participate in last year’s edition of ABAV Expo, which took place in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and brought together a record audience of over 42,300 people. It is an important event that brings together the main players in Brazilian tourism, enabling countless businesses, strengthening the visibility of destinations, promoting training and providing space for launches and new products. This year, ABAV Expo will take place in Brasília (DF), with the expectation of bringing together around 2,000 people and an estimated turnover of R$30 million in the local economy. The Ministry of Tourism is supporting ABAV Expo and will have a beautiful “Instagrammable” space, enabling the promotion of several national tourism products, with a focus on sustainability and responsible tourism.

Travel2Latam: How do you see Brazil for Brazilians and Brazil for foreigners?

Celso Sabino: Brazil - the only country in the world with six different biomes, a vibrant culture, a rich history and a cuisine that appeals to the most diverse palates, to name just a few of our virtues - provides rich experiences that attract both domestic and international tourists. Data from ANAC, for example, indicate that in the first half of 2024, the domestic market handled 44.2 million passengers, a number that is already higher than that observed in the past. This is an indication that, with the improvement in the economic and social environment, Brazilians are feeling confident and have greater purchasing power to plan and fulfill their dream of getting to know the various Brazilian attractions, taking advantage of these riches. As for international tourism, from January to July, Brazil received more than 4 million foreigners, a growth of 10% compared to the first seven months of 2023. In other words, the world has noticed this change and, with tourism, we have been able to work on improving Brazil's image, showing Brazil the way it really is: a peaceful country, with welcoming, warm people and that offers the most incredible natural, cultural and gastronomic attractions.

Travel2Latam: In your opinion, how can we improve the issue of transport in the relationship between destinations and tourists?

Celso Sabino: One of the areas we are working on with great emphasis is improving air connectivity, which is essential to increasing the flow of tourists to our destinations. The MTur is part of a major effort by President Lula's government to increase the number of flights within Brazil and to the country. Last year, for example, we launched the “Discover Brazil: Flying” program, a partnership with the Ministry of Ports and Airports, ABEAR (Brazilian Association of Airlines) and airlines to make it easier for Brazilians to travel, which has already yielded significant results with new route offers, in addition to stopovers. In addition, the federal government is developing the International Tourism Acceleration Program (PATI), together with Embratur and MPor, which has already enabled, in the first call for applications, an increase in the number of seats offered on flights to Brazil by 70,000. The new routes will be available from October 27, 2024 to March 29, 2025, connecting nations such as Paraguay, Peru and Spain to the country.

Travel2Latam: You are from Belém. Why should tourists visit Belém and the Amazon region?

Celso Sabino: Belém and the Amazon bring together natural and cultural attractions of the ecosystem with the greatest biodiversity on the planet. In addition to the natural attractions, with very peculiar fauna and flora, in the capital of Pará it is possible to experience one of the richest national cuisines, visiting one of the most peculiar places in the northern region of the country: the Ver-o-Peso Market, which brings together unique regional delicacies. Other attractions include the Basilica of Our Lady of Nazareth, where the image of the Saint who gave rise to the Círio de Nazaré, one of the largest religious manifestations in the world, is located. And tourists cannot miss a boat trip to Combu Island, an immersion in the forest, with experiences that involve sustainable tourism. In fact, the importance of Belém and the Amazon, with the adoption of sustainable solutions, will be one of the focuses of COP 30 in 2025, in the capital of Pará, as well as the meeting of the G20 Tourism Working Group, led by Brazil, now in September, also in Belém.

Travel2Latam: What have been the main achievements of your management so far, and what new projects are underway?

Celso Sabino: One of the main advances was the resumption and intensification of dialogue – a premise of President Lula – with the most diverse segments of the tourism industry. This led, for example, to the reinstallation and expansion of the National Tourism Council (CNT), which participates in defining the direction of the sector. The change sought to strengthen the presence of civil society in the CNT, including sectors such as event promotion and LGBTQIA+ tourism, as well as entities responsible for research in the area, among others. Another major achievement was the installation, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), of the first UN Tourism Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, positioning Brazil among the main global players in the segment. Looking ahead, we are working on implementing the National Tourism Plan (PNT) 2024-2027, which encompasses actions to make Brazil a leader in receiving visitors in South America, with tourism being a major vector for sustainable development and generating jobs and income.

Travel2Latam: What are the tourist experiences in Brazil that most enchanted you? Why?

Celso Sabino: In addition to the well-known experiences that fascinate visitors from all over the country mentioned above, what draws the most attention in the national tourism universe is the sector's ability to transform local realities by generating opportunities for the population. To give you an idea, since the beginning of 2023, tourism has been responsible for the creation of more than 315 thousand jobs in Brazil, corroborating the Lula government's efforts to create formal jobs. With an eye on the immense inclusive potential of the segment, last year we launched the “MTur Itinerante”, which provides guidance throughout the country on the agency's support for the development of the sector. This includes initiatives such as credit under special conditions for entrepreneurs through Fungetur, providing construction, the acquisition of machinery and obtaining working capital. We recently received recognition from an incredible place: our Lençóis Maranhenses is a Natural Heritage of Humanity, an honor granted by UNESCO and very well deserved. We have incredible places in Brazil and our goal is for more and more people to invest in tourism and offer a greater number of memorable experiences to our visitors.

Interview: Mary de Aquino.