Government Announces Measures to Help Resume Tourism in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Tuesday, November 10th, the Brazilian government launched a package of measures to boost tourism in the country. According to the Planalto Palace, the set of measures aims to expedite the sector’s rebound and reduce the socioeconomic impact of Covid-19, which paralyzed tourist activities.

Named ‘Retomada do Turismo’ (Tourism Resumption), the set of actions includes initiatives organized along four lines: preservation of companies and jobs in the tourism sector; improvement of the structure and qualification of destinations; implementation of biosafety protocols; and promotion and incentive to travel.

The government expects to achieve effective results by July 31st next year. The allocated funding and the detailing of each one of the measures have not yet been disclosed.

The measures range from the reinforcement of credit lines to capitalizomg companies in the sector and preserve jobs by construction works for the improvement of tourist destination infrastructure.

In addition, there are actions planned for the training of workers and service providers, offering courses for the adoption of health protocols that ensure safety to tourists and workers in the sector, as well as for the improvement of services.

The initiatives will be shared between public and private sectors, civil society and ‘Sistema S’ (set of nine professional quasi-governmental institutions). Among the activities developed by public bodies, third sector entities and Sistema S are the incentive to the adoption of the Responsible Tourism seal and other biosafety protocols against Covid-19 by tourism service providers, tourists and hosting communities, as well as the disclosure of information regarding available credit lines, through the General Tourism Fund (FUNGETUR).

“To the tourist, we can assert that the Brazilian tourism is prepared to welcome you. Look for establishments bearing the Responsible Tourism seal, there are over 23 thousand establishments throughout Brazil, complying with all biosafety protocols”, said Minister of Tourism Marcelo Álvaro Antônio during the launching of the program.

Rediscover Brazil

To promote the ‘Tourism Resumption’, the ‘Viaje com Responsabilidade e Redescubra o Brasil’ (Travel Responsibly and Rediscover Brazil) campaign was also launched, with a set of videos aimed at promoting Brazilian tourist destinations. Specific contents of each state in the country will be divulged.

The tourism sector accounts for approximately 8.1 percent of Brazil’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs some seven million people directly and indirectly in Brazil.

In the first semester of 2020 compared to the same period last year, foreign tourism exchange earnings accumulated a drop of 37.2 percent; the balance between hires and layoffs in the sector’s economy was negative by 364,044 formal jobs; and the turnover of tourism activities, measured by the Monthly Services Survey of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), declined by 37.9 percent.

Source: Agência Brasil