Brasília – Airport infrastructure ranks among the main obstacles to increasing flights by Arab airlines to Brazil. This was one of the topics discussed this Wednesday (6th) during the Brazil-Arab Countries Economic Forum, held at the headquarters of the National Confederation of Industry (CNI, in the Portuguese acronym), in the federal capital Brasília. The issue was raised in the Tourism panel, and a request in this respect should be submitted to the Brazilian government and Arab governments, as part of the demands resulting from the meeting in Brasília.
According to the commercial manager for Qatar Airways, Renato Hagopian, Brazil has an extremely serious airport infrastructure problem which prevents airlines from expanding their flights between Arab countries and Brazil. On the other hand, there is a strong demand for international flights by Brazilian consumers, who no longer want to travel to nearby countries. Hagopian noted that Dubai, in the Emirates, has done a great homework when it comes to presenting itself as a tourist destination in Brazil.
The administrative vice president to the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Adel Auada, said the problem should improve in a few years, seeing as airports concessions currently underway in Brazil will likely change this reality. Auada mentioned that much progress has been made in passenger transportation between Brazil and the Arab countries, with new routes to Brazil by three Arab airlines: Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. According to Auada, there is also Turkish Airlines, from Turkey, which flies to the Middle East.
According to the chairman of the Brazilian Tour Operators Association (Braztoa), Marco Ferraz, who also took part in the panel, there are currently 40 million people in Brazil who are in the A and B income brackets, and 100 million people in the C bracket, and this year, only 8 million people have gone on international trips. Thus being, he believes there is much growing to do. “We are still minor when it comes to international travel.”
With regard to issuing tourists to the Arab world, Ferraz lists two problems. One is the fact that some Arab countries are considered fiscal havens, and thus the Brazilian government limits remittances to a maximum of R$ 10,000 (US$ 4,231 at current exchange rates) per month, per passenger to these countries. Another issue is tourist visas. “It would be better to have no visa requirements,” he says. According to him, Brazilian consumers cannot take advantage of some last-minute promotions because there is not enough time to obtain the visa to the Arab country.
The Brazil-Arab Countries Economic Forum was held by the National Confederation of Industry in partnership with the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum