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says Brazilian Ambassador to the United States, Rubens Barbosa.
Brazil organizes tourism show in Los Angeles and San Francisco
VISIT BRAZIL, an initiative promoting Brazil as a tourist destination for Americans, comes to the WEST COAST in early March with meetings in Los Angeles on March 6th and San Francisco on March 8th. This initiative will introduce Brazil to an audience of travel agents and local press through a variety of presentations by Brazil tourism specialists and one-on-one meetings with airline representatives and Brazilian and American tour operators.
The events will also mark the official launch of a new toll free number and website for Americans interested in visiting Brazil (1-800-7-Brazil - www.braziltourism.org).
"Brazil has not yet been discovered by most American tourists," said Brazilian Ambassador to the United States Rubens Barbosa, "and this is because they don't know how much Brazil has to offer in terms of its natural beauty and cultural attractions."
The number of US travelers to Brazil has grown over the last few years as Brazil has invested heavily to further develop its hotel and transportation infrastructure.
According to a survey by the Brazilian Tourism Agency, Embratur, in 2000 the proportion of Americans who traveled to Brazil for tourism (38.46 percent) surpassed that of those who went on business (30.46 percent), and over 65 percent listed Brazil's tourist and ecological attractions as the primary reason for going there. Americans who travel to Brazil are highly educated, with an average annual income of $71,000.
The Visit Brazil West Coast events in early March follow similar trade shows held in several other American cities, including New York, Washington DC, Atlanta, Houston and Miami. The San Francisco and Los Angeles events will be the largest yet, with 45 exhibitors.
Visit Brazil Los Angeles will take place at the LA Marriott Downtown, 333 South Figueroa Street, and Visit Brazil San Francisco will take place at the Hyatt Regency, 5 Embarcadero Center. Both events are open exclusively to travel agents and members of the press, and will last from 8:30 am to noon. Door prizes will include complete travel packages - airplane tickets, hotels and guided tours - to several Brazilian destinations.
For more information please contact Silvia Pierson at the Brazil Information Center, at 202-471-4020, visit www.brazilinfocenter.org/visitbrazil.html, or e-mail visitbrazil@brazilinfocenter.org.
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