Embratur President Marcelo Freixo, together with the Director of International Marketing, Business and Sustainability, Bruno Reis, and the Data Intelligence Manager, Fábio Montanheiro, met with the tourism sector of Bahia, this Monday (28), in Salvador. On the eve of Black Awareness Month, Embratur and Bahia signed commitments that expand international tourism actions in the state. They also participated in the launch of the new flight that connects the capital of Bahia with Paris, capital of France, operated by Air France.
At the meeting with the sector, which was attended by the president of ABAV National, Ana Carolina Medeiros, and local authorities, Marcelo Freixo highlighted that tourism accounts for 8% of the national GDP, but has enormous growth potential, especially with the actors in the sector working in partnership. “This is an impressive figure, but with enormous growth potential. And what we have at Embratur is a great opportunity to work in partnership, with dialogue with municipal governments, but fundamentally with civil society,” he stressed.
The Secretary of Tourism of Bahia, Maurício Bacelar, thanked Freixo for his support in strengthening the sector, which is one of the most employment and income generating in the state. “Starting in January 2023, Brazil, and Bahia in particular, began to experience a new moment: with the arrival of President Lula, the rise of Marcelo Freixo to the presidency of Embratur, we began to modify Brazil's position in the international tourism market. The Government of Bahia joined the policies of Embratur and the Ministry of Tourism, and Brazil returned, and returned with great force to the world market,” he said.
Head of Embratur's International Marketing, Business and Sustainability department since July, Bruno Reis highlighted that the alliance between the Agency and Bahia's tourism stakeholders is important to attract more international tourists to the state and made the Agency's technical area available to the public. trade, to help in the development of international promotion strategies.
Reis gave a presentation showing how Embratur has developed its actions to attract more visitors to the country. “When we talk about a cooperative campaign, which is a new tactic that Embratur has used in its year and a half of management, it makes no sense to go, for example, only to Fitur (International Tourism Fair), in Madrid, once a year, and then not activate the Spanish market in a synergistic way. I need to activate the Spanish market from a 360º perspective: then, I have to bring the journalist, invite the tour operator, do training, relations with the airlines, I have to talk to a travel influencer. Just going to the fair once a year is not enough for the market performance,” explained the director.
Air France flight
In addition to the meeting with Bahia's business community, there was a reception for the arrival of the first Paris-Salvador flight. The flight inaugurated, on Monday afternoon, the new route operated by Air France that connects Europe with Bahia. There will be three weekly flights.
"This flight is of enormous importance, because the relationship with France is being restored after years of rupture. So this is Brazil that has returned," Freixo said.
Among the authorities who participated in the reception of the new flight at Salvador International Airport was also the Governor of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues.
Embratur launched the actions of the Black Consciousness Month last Saturday (26) with the launch of the documentary 'Afro – Das Origens aos Destinos'. The Agency's audiovisual production was screened at the Glauber Rocha cinema and addresses the African influence on music, gastronomy, Brazilian religiosity and the formation of the Recôncavo Baiano and the capital of Salvador.
Another important promotional action for the capital of Bahia to mark the month will be a press trip with American journalists.
The Agency has been working to reach out to companies and governments to better understand local needs in strengthening the international promotion of Brazilian destinations.
The world in Bahia
According to the Embratur Data Portal, the number of international tourist arrivals to Bahia from January to September of this year, 94,703, has already surpassed the cumulative total for the 12 months of 2023, which was 92,059. And comparing the first of the first nine months, the registration of international tourists in the state grew 58.4% in 2024. Arrivals in the period last year stood at 59,754.
The number of international visitors to the state, however, is even higher, as there are also tourists who came from other federal units and included Bahia in their itineraries. To top it off, in the first six months of 2024 the main countries issuing tourists to the region were Portugal, Peru, France and the United States.
Source: Embratur.