Brazil and Argentina team up to attract Chinese tourists

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil and Argentina are preparing a joint tourism promotion program in China to attract more visitors from the Asian giant, official sources announced Wednesday.

The president of the Brazilian tourism institute, Embratur, Vinicius Lummertz, and the Argentinean tourism minister, Gustavo Santos, met in London on Wednesday during the World Travel Market in London.

They decided to carry out a joint promotion tour in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou among others, Embratur said in a statement.

The governments of Brazil and Argentina have been trying to reach an agreement for two years on a joint tourism promotion effort in China.

"The Chinese market is very large and is growing. We have the problem of distance, but the joint initiative makes everything easier, with lower costs and simplified logistics. From the start, we and Argentina have considered that, since Asian and American travellers to Europe visit two or more countries, why not offer the same in South America," commented Lummertz.

Santos added that "while they have the Great Wall, one of the wonders of the world, we have the Iguazu Waterfalls, another marvel. We are brothers through this and we need to bring our people together, and promote all this more".

Santos also asked the Brazilian government to adopt "a more flexible policy in terms of the visa demands for China tourists".

Embratur said that China accounts for more international travellers than any other country, with 130 million Chinese citizens travelling abroad last year, but with only around 60,000 visiting Brazil.