Marina Sarruf, special reports*
Brasília – "The Arabs are a target (in tourism) that we want to attract," stated the minister of Tourism of Brazil, Walfrido Mares Guia, on arrival at the ceremony opening the summit between the Arab and South American countries, at Ulysses Guimarães Convention Centre, in Brazilian capital Brasília.
According to the minister, direct flights between Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, to São Paulo, the Brazilian financial capital, and vice versa, will be important to the country. "We want the Arabs to see Brazil as a tourist destination. A place where they may spend holidays with their families," he said. Among the main destinations mentioned by Mares Guia are São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (both in southeastern Brazil), and Bahia and Recife (in the northeast).
According to Mares Guia, hotels in Brazil are investing to receive Arab tourists. The minister mentioned, for example, a Spanish investment of US$ 300 million in a hotel at Sauípe, in Bahia.
*Translated by Mark Ament
