In ten years Brazil wants to increase the inflow of funds coming from foreign tourists by 304%, to US$ 17.6 billion. The country is betting it will and receive 11.1 million visitors a year by 2020. These targets are part of the Aquarela 2020 Plan, launched this Wednesday, (16), in Rio de Janeiro, by the Ministry of Tourism, through the Embratur, Brazilian Tourism Company.
"We developed profound diagnostics work, based on several researches, which investigated from the image that foreigners have of Brazil and their intention of returning for the World Cup and the Olympic Games, hearing national leaderships in the tourism sector and considering international market studies," said Embratur president Jeanine Pires.
"It was this broad study that was used to establish the Aquarela 2020 Plan and the result is a very high-level technical study to guide the international promotion actions of Brazil in the next decade," said Jeanine.
The Tourism minister, Luiz Barretto, was also present at the event, as well as the state and municipal Tourism secretaries of Rio de Janeiro, Márcia Lins and Antônio Pedro, respectively, alongside other personalities and executives in the tourism sector.
Aquarela Plan takes into consideration the global movement in Brazil after the World Cup and the Olympics, stipulating targets for the inflow of foreigners and funds up to 2020.
The target established by the plan is to expand the number of visitors coming to Brazil by 500,000 tourists a year in the year of the Cup, 2014, and by 15% in 2016, the year of the Olympics, as against the previous year.
"The planning is very important for the success of public policies in all sectors. For this reason, we have to appreciate the part played by the Aquarela Plan in building a new image for Brazil in the world, which is already seeing the country with other eyes," said Luiz Barretto.
"We have left the testing phase, and now work with targets, and we are going to leave a legacy for tourism in the next decade."
The marketing actions for the 2014 Cup should start soon after the end of the 2010 Cup, in South Africa, the date established by the FIFA for the start of the Brazilian campaign.
The agenda includes the following of the Brazilian team matches, with activities in the streets, exhibition of Brazilian products at commercial event spaces and cultural events, as well as advertising and public relations operations in several countries.