The president of ALMG, Deputy Agostinho Patrus (PV), attended the opening of the event and addressed the potential of tourism in Minas Gerais. In this sense, he spoke of the hydromineral resorts, gastronomy, culture and historical heritage of the state - the latter, according to him, represents 60% of the entire national historical heritage.
He also spoke about the good infrastructure of Belo Horizonte International Airport, in Confins, and stressed that the Minas Gerais Legislative House will be a partner of the federal government in encouraging the sector.
Also, Professor Irineu (PSL), chairman of the ALMG Extraordinary Commission for Tourism and Gastronomy, stressed ALMG's support to the sector. He emphasized the richness of Minas Gerais gastronomy and the national and international recognition of local flavors.
He also recalled the production chains involved in gastronomic production and in all tourist activities. The deputy also spoke about the architectural ensemble of Lagoa da Pampulha, the modern art collection of the Inhotim Museum and other major mining attractions.
Who addressed the financial difficulties of the state and the solutions currently under discussion to improve the tourist economy of Minas Gerais was the Secretary of Culture and Tourism, Marcelo Landi.
National Congress examines projects such as gaming release and tax exemption for tourists
Newton Cardoso Junior (MDB), chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Tourism Commission, opened the meeting by talking about the priority agenda for the sector in the National Congress. According to him, there are three main projects under discussion in the legislative houses.
One of them deals with the legalization of the gaming sector such as casinos, banned in Brazil for over 70 years. The congressman stressed the importance of this step to attract tourists to Brazil and collect taxes.
The second bill under discussion by him is one that exempts foreign tourists from paying taxes on some of the locally purchased products, in a model that already works in other countries, such as Argentina. Finally, he cited legislation that aims to create “special areas of tourist interest” in which licenses, permits and other documents will be facilitated for tourism entrepreneurs.
These would be strategies to increase from 7 million to 12 million the annual number of tourists received in the country. For Newton Cardoso Júnior, issues such as infrastructure are important, but not the only ones that can help in this goal.
In the same way, the general coordinator of publicity and advertising of the Brazilian Tourism Institute (Embratur), Sílvio Nascimento, said that tourism is a priority of the federal government today, but that, in the absence of resources to invest, “creativity” will be needed to warm up the sector.
Thus, he cited the use of national tourism ambassadors, such as player Ronaldinho Gaúcho, and a campaign to encourage Brazilians living abroad to bring foreigners to the country.
Sílvio Nascimento also said that one of the focuses will be on attracting tourists from Southern Cone countries, especially Argentina. Soon, according to him, an action will illuminate in green and yellow the ‘Casa Rosada’, headquarters of the Argentine government.
According to the representative of Embratur, there will be 30 priority routes in Brazil to be promoted abroad, two of them in Minas Gerais. Members of sectors such as hotels and transportation, as well as representatives of entities such as the Institute of National Artistic and Historical Heritage (Iphan), were present and discussed paths for the sector throughout the morning.
Source: GMB / ALMG
