Rio de Janeiro – The Brazilian minister of Tourism Vinicius Lages has said this Monday (26th) that the country must improve its aerospace connection with tourist issuing countries in order to make its industry more competitive. The minister made the statement during the Brazil Tourism Seminar, held at the Windsor Atlântica Hotel, in Rio de Janeiro’s south side.
Lages also said other measures are needed, such as tax breaks on airlines’ fuel purchases, registration of temporary workers in the tourism industry, and improvement of professional training.
“If you look at Google Earth [online satellite mapping service], you will see that Brazil is far behind the leading tourist issuing countries. In order to gain competitiveness, not only must we expand our network, we must also provide the necessary conditions for our air network to become more internationalized,” he said.
According to the minister, the FIFA World Cup, set to open on June 12th, will be an important tool for promoting Brazil’s image overseas. He said 500,000 foreigners have bought tickets to the World Cup matches, so the initial estimate of receiving 600,000 tourists during the Cup should be exceeded. Lages declined to give an update on the forecast.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
