Brazil tourism up ahead of 2014 World Cup
Reuters - Tuesday 15 June 2010, 17:55
JOHANNESBURG, June 15 (Reuters) - Brazil hopes its tourism
industry will contribute up to 4.5 percent of its gross domestic
product by 2014, the year it hosts the FIFA World Cup, a
government minister said on Tuesday.
Tourism Minister Luiz Barretto Filho said the South American
country expected considerably more than the around 370,000
visitors in South Africa for the current World Cup.
"We hope to get 4 to 4.5 percent of the GDP (by 2014),"
Filho told Reuters in an interview.
Filho was part of a delegation visiting South Africa to
promote Brazil ahead of the next World Cup.
The 2014 World Cup was marked for South America under FIFA's
rotation system and five times World Cup winner Brazil, which
hosted the 1950 tournament, was awarded the event unopposed in
2007.
Latin America's biggest economy expanded 9.0 percent in the
first quarter - its fastest pace in at least 14 years - and
Filho said the government was planning to create 2.5 million
formal jobs in total during 2010, many in the tourism sector.
"At the moment, we have 6 million Brazilians working in the
tourism sector. We're expecting a 10 percent increase, per year,
until 2014," he said.
PREPARATIONS SLOW
However, FIFA has criticised Brazil's preparations for the
tournament and last month its general secretary, Jerome Valcke,
said he had received a report that warned work was behind
schedule at a number of venues.
Brazil Sports Minister Orlando Silva, who was also visiting
South Africa, said he was concerned about the pace of his
country's preparations.
"I'm always worried, I'm always concerned. There are 12
cities and we need to work faster. But I am confident 2010 will
be a turning point. And we'll certainly work faster, quicker in
the preparation for the World Cup," he told reporters after
touring the exhibition.
Like South Africa, Brazil needs to invest heavily in
infrastructure, particularly transport. Silva said the
government had an investment programme of around $15 billion to
improve infrastructure and restore stadiums.
Like South Africa, Brazil is battling a reputation for high
levels of violent crime.
However, Filho said Brazil had extensive plans to tackle
crime, from bringing in extra police units to instituting more
social programmes.
"The Brazilian situation is quite different to the South
African (one). We also have problems in the crime area, but not
to the same extent as South Africa," Filho said.
"It is quite easy to organise security for a 30-day period."