The main tourism authorities of Britain, Australia and Brazil met in Rio de Janeiro on the 6th May, to share their knowledge of the Olympics and the international promotion of their respective countries. The CEO of Visit Britain, Sandie Dawe, and the Chairman of Tourism Australia, Rick Allert, participated in the event, which started at 10.00 am at Rio Othon Palace (Avenida Atlantica, 3264 - Copacabana).  London, which is preparing for the 2012 Games, and Sydney, which hosted the Olympics in 2000 presented experiences and learnings to the rest of the conference to share knowledge with key figures from EMBRATUR, the Brazilian Tourist Board.

During the meeting, the President of EMBRATUR, Jeanine Pires, signed a technical co-operation agreement with VisitBritain and presented the Board's new programme for working together with the aim of boosting the entry of foreign visitors and foreign exchange into their respective countries before, during and after the Olympics in London in 2012, in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Brazil, as the country hosting two major sporting events - the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic and Olympic Games - is creating exceptional conditions to attract more international events, on the basis of the country's global exposure.

Events tourism is a segment which has presented significant growth in recent years, providing revenue and job creation, and it directly affects the movement of the tourism production chain in Brazil.

"For Brazil it is very important to learn from the experience of tourism promotion of countries which have held or will hold major events, such as Britain, which will host the 2012 Games. We wish to join the expertise we already have, especially in holding the Pan-American Games and the preparations for the World Cup, with the experience of other countries", stated Jeanine Pires.

The Chief Executive of VisitBritain showed special interest in how Brazil is preparing to receive foreign tourists for the 2014 World Cup, including the organisation of routes and relations with tour operators for the sale of packages. Details of the strategy behind the country's candidacy are also among the interests of VisitBritain, as Britain is a candidate to host the 2018 World Cup. "We are very interested in Brazil's experience and this approach will certainly bring benefits to both sides", stated Sandie Dawe. "We are extending to tourism the policy of co-operation already established by the British and Brazilian governments in other areas", she said.

Benchmarking
The exchange of experience will involve reciprocal support in the international tourist promotion of products, services and tourist destinations of Brazil and Britain and action before, during and after the London Olympic Games in 2012, the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, and also involving the 2014 World Cup. The next step will be the formation of a Management Committee between the countries for drafting a joint Plan of Work. The Management Committee will also be responsible for inter-institutional co-ordination at international, federal, state and municipal level for bringing the programmes and projects to fruition.

The joint work agenda includes seminars with international specialists, benchmarking visits for learning from experience on the ground, and a constant exchange of information and data between the tourist promotion agencies of both countries. Close contact withthe tourist authorities of cities that have hosted other Olympics, such as Beijing and Sydney, and the Winter Games, such as Vancouver, in Canada, will also form part of the work of Embratur - which already has a strategic plan for the international promotion of Brazil for the 2014 World Cup.

What:
- Seminar “The Olympic Games and Tourism - Australia's Experience and the United Kingdom's Preparations”;
- Signing of the co-operation agreement between Embratur and VisitBritain;
- Launch of Embratur's new programme for attracting international events

Date: 06 May 2010
Time: 10.00
Venue: Rio Othon Palace (Avenida Atlantica, 3264) Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro/RJ