São Paulo – Rida International Travel & Tourism, an incoming travel agency based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, began operations in Brazil. The company has hired two sales and marketing managers for Latin America, Silvana Maria Gomes de Oliveira and Enzo Avezum, based in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, respectively.
Rida offers its services as an incoming agency to tour operators, the companies that set up travel packages, which 
later are sold to consumers via travel agencies. The services offered by the company in Brazil targets Latin Americans traveling abroad, especially to Arab countries, where the company’s main offices are located, and foreign tourists in Brazil.
The Dubai company has always been known for its services in the Middle East but it’s now repositioning itself as a global company, a strategy that includes its operations in Brazil, according to Silvana.
Rida offers the full line of services of an incoming travel agency, from transportation, guiding services and tour organization to the booking of accommodations, for tour packages or for individuals. The services can also be customized, which can include, for instance, an individual itinerary or a corporate bonus trip, with an awards dinner, tours, hotels, etc;
Besides its headquarters in Dubai, Rida has three main offices in Lebanon, Jordan and Morocco, with its own staff and fleet, and others around the world. Its operations in Brazil focus on offering services to Brazilian and Latin American tourists in these countries.
Among these destinations, the most sought-after by Brazilians is the United Arab Emirates, says Silvana de Oliveira. “Dubai is the shining star, it sells itself.” The UAE attract Brazilian tourists for its luxury, but it’s repositioning itself as an attractive destination for families, according to the manager. “It’s a more affordable destination, the purchasing power in reais in the UAE is the same as in dirhams,” she says.
Silvana says that Lebanon has been a surprise, for both the demand and the profile of Brazilian tourists that seek to travel to the country. It has been sought as a luxury destination and by tourists looking for experience tours. In the latter category, says Silvana and Avezum, the demands include cuisine and bike tours.
Morocco and Jordan attract visitors mainly looking for historical tourism. Jordan usually has a demand for packages that include other destinations in the region, such as Dubai or the Holy Land. Morocco also has a demand as a solo destination or in combination packages, including Tunisia and Algeria, for instance.
On the other hand, when offering its services as an incoming travel agency in Brazil to foreigners, the greater demand is coming from countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam. Since the company still doesn’t have a full staff in the country, the services are offered by Rida’s partners, which went through quality control, says the manager.
For now, Silvana and Avezum work from their home office, but the company has plans to open an office in the country. Silvana de Oliveira has been working at Rida since May. She’s been in the field of commercial aviation as a salesperson for 33 years and has worked in major airlines such as Emirates and Etihad.
Enzo Avezum has been with Rida since earlier this month and began his career in airports operational area. Later, he moved to sales in commercial aviation and marketing in tourism, including a job with Embratur, a body of Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism, where he worked with tourism promotion. Avezum has studied Marketing for International Destinations at the University of California (UCLA), in Los Angeles.
Contact:
Rida International Travel & Tourism
Website: http://www.ridaint.com/
São Paulo
Phone: +971 4 2944511 or +55 11 99350-7763
Email: enzo.avezum@ridaint.com
Rio de Janeiro
Phone: +55 21 997350607
Email: silvana.oliveira@ridaint.com
Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
