São Paulo – Introducing Palestine as a religious tourism destination is the primary goal of the Arab country’s minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Rula Maayaa, during her visit to Brazil this week. She has told ANBA this Thursday (24th) that the country is working to make tourism into one of the pillars of its growth in the next few years, and is betting on Brazil, one of the countries with the highest number of Catholics in the world, to become a major issuer of tourists to the Holy Land. She intends to enter into partnerships with the Brazilian public and private sectors in order to bring journalists and tour operators to get to know Palestine.
“We are keenly interested in cooperating with Brazil in tourism, and this is why I am discussing partnerships. It is very important for us to welcome tourists from Brazil, because Palestine is the sacred ground where Jesus was born. It is one of the most important sites for Christians anywhere in the world, and we hope Brazilians may come in greater numbers. On the other hand, we also want Palestinians to travel more to Brazil, which is a beautiful country,” Maayaa said during a meeting with the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce CEO Michel Alaby. In her trip to Brazil, she is being accompanied by the Palestinian ambassador in Brasília, Ibrahim Alzeben.
One of the actions in Maayaa’s plans is to offer trips to Brazilian tour operators and journalists so they can see Palestinian landmarks and attractions and then spread the word. She said Palestine believes tourism is one of the areas of economy that can potentially fuel growth in the country. “It’s a budding sector; we welcomed 2.5 million visitors in 2014 and we intend to see continuous year-on-year growth in foreign travellers,” she said.
Many of the tourists who visit Palestine buy packages to other Arab countries, a niche the minister plans to tap into even further. “This is great, because lots of people who are visiting Egypt end up buying a package to Palestine. We can also draw in tourists visiting Jordan and Iran (a non-Arab country),” she said. Russia is the single biggest issuer of tourists to Palestine. In 2014, Italy and Poland respectively ranked second and third on the list of countries from where the most tourists travelled to Palestine.
This Thursday, Maayaa attended the opening ceremony of the 43rd Abav – International Tourism Expo at São Paulo’s Parque Anhembi. The expo features a Palestinian stand, and Maayaa is here to convene with local tour operators and the Brazilian minister of Tourism, Henrique Eduardo Alves. Alves, however, cancelled the meeting because he had to return to Brasília.
Besides São Paulo, Maayaa will travel to Foz do Iguaçu, in the state of Paraná, to meet with local authorities. The tourist resort is home to a large Arab community. The minister has been invited to get to know the city.
43rd Abav – International Tourism Expo
Anhembi Exhibition Pavilion
Avenida Olavo Fontoura, 1.209, Santana, São Paulo – São Paulo
Until Saturday (26th), 12pm to 8pm
Additional information: www.abavexpo.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
