Brazil seeks to promote “afrotourism” and make tourism a great engine of the economy

Brazil wants to promote “afrotourism” to reclaim its African “past and present,” according to the president of Embratur, Marcelo Freixo, who has “no doubt” that this activity will be “the means of development for generating employment and income that will guarantee the future” of the country.

In an interview with EFE in Madrid, where the Fitur international tourism fair, the president of the public company in charge of the international promotion of tourism in Brazil Remember that this activity represents 8% of the country’s GDP while the oil industry is responsible for 12 percent.

”I have no doubt that oil will not be the basis of the 21st century economy, Brazil is a great producer of clean energy and tourism is undoubtedly the way of the future, the means of development, job creation and income that will guarantee our future with the climate guarantee that the world needs,” he comments.

And Freixo, in office for just under a year, is clear that this activity “generates employment and income,” but it can also help “a lot” in other issues such as “cultural and of course environmental preservation.”

Afrotourism, “flag” of Embratur

Freixo focuses on the African heritage to Brazil at present, where according to official data from 2022, 10.6% of the population is considered black and 45.3% “mestizo”, it highlights that the “afrotourism” It is a “central flag” of Embratur and a mark that they want to leave in the Brazilian sector.

”It is not just about combating racism, it is more than that, in Brazilian tourism there must be pride in the African past, we have an African past and present, there is no history of Brazil without the history with Africa, there is no way to tell it, of course it is fighting racism, but also generating work and income for the black population,” he says.

And, in his opinion, “when tourism is done by black people” and this “black history” present in many places in the country such as “Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Maranhao, Minas Gerais or Fortaleza” is kept in mind, it is seen “a country that lived with slavery for centuries and defeated it.”

”We talk about culture, gastronomy, our tourism, it is afrotourismand there is a huge market that is interested,” he adds.

Brazilian tourism “is back”

Freixo defends that with the return of President Lula da Silva to power, “Brazil is getting more tourists by Lula’s Government and the presence of the president at the head of the country.”

“We went through two years of pandemic, four years of disastrous government of lack of respect for international relations and environmental disaster,” he says, referring to the far-right legislature. Jair Bolsonarobefore pointing out that “Lula’s return repositioned Brazil in the world.”

”Brazil As a destination of diversity, it is very well represented by the president, it opens the doors to the world and the numbers are there, we have already returned to the pre-pandemic number of tourists; For the first time, in 2023, we exceed the international tourism revenue of 2014″, when the country hosted the Soccer World Cupsays Freixo, who points out that another objective is to strengthen European tourism.

Even so, he indicates that tourism should not generate problems for the local population but rather that it “be the solution” to the country’s problems: “there will not be tourism for Brazilians and others for foreigners, there will not be one Brazil for the tourist and another for the that lives, we only want a Brazil very good for those who visit it and that will make it very good for those who experience it.”