By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism has announced an investment program which will inject R$200 (US$50) million into the sector to boost tourism around the country and generate jobs on strategic routes.
The program, dubbed Investe Turismo (Invest Tourism), will start with investments in 158 municipalities in five regions of the country. The program will seek partnerships called “public-private initiatives” to increase the quality and competitiveness of the tourism sector.
“We are going to provoke a transformation in the management of tourism in these strategic routes, increasing the flow of tourists in these destinations and the generation of business, jobs and income through tourism,” Tourism Minister, Marcelo Alvaro Antônio, said during the ceremony to announce Investe Turismo.
The project is a partnership between the Ministry, Sebrae (Brazilian Small Business Support Service) and Embratur (Brazilian Tourist Board).
Investments will include incentives for new businesses in the chosen areas, access to credit, marketing and qualification for the tourism sector. Also within the proposed actions are partnerships to improve and expand internet coverage in strategic destinations and support for creative interaction in public spaces, such as the Urban Hacking movement.
Among the cities and tourist spots scheduled to receive the initial investments are large cities, such as Belem and Manaus; islands, lake formations and waterfalls like Ilha de Marajó (Marajö Island), Fernando de Noronha, Bonito and the Iguaçu Falls corridor; canyons and mountainous terrains like Chapada dos Veadeiros and Chapada dos Guimaraes; rural areas like Jalapão and Pantanal; and historic cities like those in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.
“We are working hard to resume growth; everything is being done so that Brazil is a fertile ground, capable of supplying conditions for small businesses in these tourist areas to emerge,” concluded Sebrae President Carlos Melles.