Brazil's Tourism Expansion

With the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics both being held in Brazil, this large South American country is preparing for a major tourism boost to further advance its economy. Currently, Brazil’s tourism industry is not featured in the global top ten with only five million overseas visitors this past year. There are numerous reasons why Brazil remains a relatively untapped tourist destination but perhaps one of the biggest reasons is the perception of high crime levels. However, with the two major international events around the corner Brazil is looking correct to this problem in order to double the number of people visiting the country and expand its tourism industry.

To lower crime levels, Brazilian authorities have increased their efforts to control crime in the poorer parts of cities across Brazil. The government has implemented more police and even navy marines in these areas to reduce criminal activity. These efforts have greatly helped Brazilian cities and have improved safety for visitors of Brazil. In order to make the country attractive for international business practices and overseas visitors, Brazil has also been investing large amounts of money into infrastructure development. Over the past years, Brazil has spent more than 3.4 billion dollars improving airports in twelve cities. Other areas of large investment also include public transport, highways, and new hotels. These improvements will not only provide success during the Olympics and World Cup but will also provide a foundation for permanent expansion of tourism in Brazil.

With 600,000 overseas visitors expected to come for the 2014 World Cup alone, Brazil has some work ahead of itself if it wants to become a prominent country in the global tourism industry. If Brazil is able to achieve success as a top tourist destination, its economy will acquire many benefits. The good news for Brazil is that with the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2014 World Cup, the stage is certainly set and Brazil has a great opportunity to showcase itself in a successful light as a country ready to take on the responsibility of becoming a major global force in the tourism sector.