Wednesday, December 5, 2018

The number of Chinese tourists in Brazil has increased and it became easier to get a Visa

It was not only the trade between Brazil and China that has taken a leap in the last 10 years. The number of Chinese tourists arriving in the country has been increasing every year and reached the mark of 61,000 last year. According to data from Embratur, the government agency responsible for promoting tourism in Brazil, the Asians advanced four positions in the overall ranking of countries sending visitors to Brazil.

These numbers, however, still seem small if compared to those involving overall Asians. Only in 2017, 135 million Chinese went on business and leisure trips. Numbers that make China the largest country sending visitors in the world. According to the World Tourism Organization, the Chinese also rank first in expenses abroad: US$ 258 billion in 2017. An increase of 5% (or US$ 8 billion) over the previous year.

In order to boost tourist flow between the countries, China and Brazil have entered into an agreement to facilitate visas for citizens of both countries. Since October 1st, tourist visas started being valid for five years, with multiple comings and goings, with a stay period of 90 days, renewable for up to another 90 days, every 12 months. In addition, the Ministry of Tourism has an open call notice to accredit specialized tourism agencies. Thus, they expect to reach the mark of 90,000 Chinese tourists by 2022.

Of the total number of tourists who go to Brazil, 68% go for business, and 19%, for leisure. When the trip is for leisure, Rio de Janeiro is the top destination for Asians. The city has actually been nominated in three categories for the Ctrip Top Destination Awards 2018, the annual award of the Asian country’s largest online tourism agency.

The nomination is for categories “Best Destination for Photography”, “Best Destination for Outdoor Sports” and “Best Destination for Beer and Wine Culture”. The relevance of the awards is bound to the company’s profile in the Chinese market. The agency owns 80% of all online marketing, with 300 million customers. In the 2017 edition, Rio won the competition in category “Best Destination for Photography”.

No comments: