Member Article

Tourism sights focused as Olympics heads to Brazil

As the Olympic handover to Brazil takes place, the country’s tourist board last night put on a stunning light show along the Thames.

As a taste of what is about to come, EMBRATUR, the Brazilian Tourist Board put on the show that featured the iconic Christ The Redeemer statue among other totems of Brazilian pride.

The show ended with the message “Thank You London…See you in Brazil. Come celebrate life.”

So as the tourism professionals, Brazilian and international authorities looked on, the baton was passed in preparation for another potential tourism opportunity.

International director of markets, Marcelo Pedroso, said: “Following the closing ceremony in London, the eyes of the world are now turned towards Brazil. The large sporting events are unique opportunities to transform or reinforce the image of the country in many aspects, and we hope the broad exposure will attract new tourists and take Brazil to a new level of importance in global tourism as a whole.”

Flavio Dino, president of Embratur, supported the sentiment, saying the tourism campaign for Brazil would emphasise the hospitality Brazilians are famous for.

The British tourist authority, Visit Britain, says it is now turning its attention to maximising tourism potential resulting from widespread coverage of the games across the globe.

Over 8600 non-accredited media from 102 countries registered for the London Media Centre during the games, and Visit Britain hope this, along with media tours and hospitality events, has helped to promote the country at its best.

Sandie Dawe, Chief Executive of VisitBritain said: “Britain has captured the imagination of the world – now we need to capture their holiday bookings. We know that the tourism legacy of hosting the Games is not a given and needs to be worked for.

“We are embarked on our biggest evermarketing programme. In an 18 month period we will have invested around £35 million promoting Britain in our priority markets. Immediately after the Games finish, we will launch a major campaign with our industry partners – airlines, hotels and tour operators – offering great deals to ensure people who have seen Britain on their screens book their trip.

“Every year overseas visitors contribute £18 billion to the British economy - twice the cost of staging the Games – and we want to make sure that we continue to compete internationally. A gold medal performance will mean growth and jobs across all of Britain in the years ahead.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .