The government of the state of São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil, launched Wednesday, August 10, the program “Journeys for Tourism Development in São Paulo”, to identify the tourist potential and develop the activity in 67 cities in the state.
For such, the government will invest US$ 39.5 million in infrastructure, urbanization and sanitation in these cities. As well as that, another US$ 4.4 million will be invested in advertising the tourist destinations in the state.
We have to sell our product better. We have potential to make tourism in the state grow. Adventure tourism, religious tourism, beaches, mountains, historic sites, handicrafts,” stated governor Geraldo Alckmin during event at the Bandeirantes Palace, head of the São Paulo government.
For the program, the state will be divided into eight macro-regions. In each one of them will be held seminars to mobilize mayors, Tourism secretaries, businessmen, associations and universities. After this phase, the regional product will be identified, in other words, the main tourist points of each city, which will be announced in regional tourism gatherings.
“Tourism is business above everything. An excellent business,” stated the state Tourism secretary, Fernando Longo. According to him, the result of the Journeys will be presented at the São Paulo Tourism Salon, sector exhibit to take place between the 23rd and 26th of March 2006 at the Latin America Memorial, in the city of São Paulo.
According to Longo, 2.35 million foreign tourists landed in the São Paulo last year and, for this year, the forecast is of 2.77 million tourists.
“Seventy percent of the tourists arriving in São Paulo stay in the city, the other 30% go to the interior of the state,” said Longo, who plans on attracting half of the foreigners to the interior next year. The aim for 2007 is to have 70% of foreigners visiting the interior of the state.
According to Alckmin, São Paulo receives the greatest number of foreign visitors in the country and the services sector is the one that generates most jobs and revenue. “We need to bring tourists from the whole world to Brazil. São Paulo is the port of entry,” he stated.
For the president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB), Antonio Sarkis Jr., who was at the project’s launching ceremony, the new program should be good also for the Arab businessmen travelling on business. “They will have an opportunity of combining business tourism with leisure tourism inside São Paulo,” he said.
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