São Paulo – Yesterday (10th), in the capital of the state of São Paulo, the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism presented the results of a survey evaluating the development stage of 16 cities in the state, with regard to tourism activities. The material was delivered to the tourism secretaries of the municipalities involved, namely Aparecida, Atibaia, Bananal, Brotas, Campos do Jordão, Cananéia, Guarujá, Iporanga, Itu, Panorama, Santo André, Santos, São Bernardo do Campo, São Carlos, São Sebastião and São Vicente. The survey was conducted in partnership with the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) and the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, aiming to aid these destinations in better planning their actions in the field.
The evaluation considered 13 points, 62 variables and 600 questions. These 13 items included questions such as infrastructure, access, attractions, marketing and public policies, among others. The Ministry of Tourism disclosed the grades of each city separately, but according to the ministry’s regionalization coordinator, Ana Clévia Guerreiro Lima, the tourism secretaries who received the material "have agreed with the grades." "They judged the results as good," said Ana. "For the ministry, the important thing is the lessons that they will learn from the survey, we want this to help the cities move toward their projects for the tourism industry," she said.
According to Ana, the analyses have taken into consideration the reality and profile of each city. "São Carlos, for instance, has a strong vocation for business event tourism," she explains. "Thus, access issues there would be more serious than in Brotas, which is known for its adventure and ecotourism routes," she claimed.
General issues detected by the survey include situations such as websites promoting the municipalities’ attractions that are "too institutional." "Web pages must be designed that contain useful information to tourists, such as lodging, how to get there, tours and car rental, for instance," said Ana.
In the face of the results, the Culture and Tourism secretary of the city of São Sebastião, Marianita Bueno, claimed that the survey is going to "drive future actions." The coastal city’s received a positive evaluation with regard to infrastructure, but monitoring and marketing were pointed out as negative aspects. The Tourism secretary of Santos, Wânia Seixas, approved the survey and listed some of the municipalities’ problems, such as the need to increase the number of hotel beds. "We have got issues that need solving," said Wânia.
A total of 50 Brazilian municipalities were mapped out by the Ministry of Tourism. The 16 cities in the state of São Paulo were the first ones to get the results.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
