Crivella's most recent defense was made on Monday, during the inauguration of members of the Municipal Tourism Council, an entity that has the goal of creating public policies for the development of the sector. The Council brings together 150 representatives from various private and public bodies.
The bill for casino legalization that can be voted on in the House of Representatives was approved in committees in 2016. Now, after the approval of the Social Security Reform and the future review of the Tax Reform, the proposal has the support of the President of the House, Rodrigo Maia, to get on the priority agenda.
For this project, casinos would be possible within integrated resorts, which also include hotel structures, concert halls, shopping malls and convention centers. This is the model defended by Crivella, for installation in Rio’s Porto Maravilha.
In an article published in O Globo newspaper this year, the mayor proposed that the National Congress should approve the legalization of the integrated resort of Porto Maravilha as a kind of laboratory, and then analyze the extension to other areas of the country.
This privilege would be justified, argues the mayor, because Porto Maravilha is an area that has been revitalized with the resources of the Guarantee Fund of Service (FGTS), managed by Caixa Econômica Federal (CEF), with investments that have already totaled R$ 7.9 billion (US$ 1.95bn) in infrastructure works and expenses with the maintenance of the area.
The Municipal Tourism Council installed by Crivella is composed of 38 entities and will be chaired by the Municipal Secretary of Tourism, Paulo Jobim. Data from ABIH-RJ (Brazilian Hotel Industry Association in Rio de Janeiro) released at the ceremony show that hotel occupancy in the city grew from 58% in the first quarter of 2018 to 76% in the same period this year.
Also according to ABIH-RJ, last New Year's Eve the city received 2.8 million tourists. At Carnival 2019, 1.62 million tourists visited the city, which represents an 8% growth compared to the revelry in 2018, when Rio was attended by 1.5 million tourists.
Source: GMB / Diário do Porto
