Brasília – Sixteen national parks throughout Brazil will see R$ 10.4 million (US$ 4.3 million) from the federal government for emergency works in preparation for increased visitation as a result of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Brazilian ministers of Environment, Izabella Teixeira, and of Tourism, Gastão Vieira, paid a visit this Thursday (28th) to the National Park of Brasília, aka Água Mineral, which will receive R$ 2 million (US$ 866,000) for improving access, the tourist information centre, signalling, and the maintenance of pools and bathrooms.
The partnership between the two ministries is intended to encourage tourist visitation at parks from 2014 to 2020. The targeted facilities include the Tijuca National Park, in Rio de Janeiro; the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, in Pernambuco; the Iguaçu National Park, in Paraná; Chapada dos Guimarães, in Mato Grosso; and Chapada dos Veadeiros, in Goiás. “The return on this investment is increased competitiveness for Brazilian tourism. Initially, it will be a facelift, an attempt to offer more comfort to tourists. We have had nearly 7 million visitors at national parks. We must prepare ourselves to treat our tourists well,” the minister said.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
