The Brazilian Tourism Institute (Embratur) has been supporting the participation of Brazilian companies at tourism fairs in China, seeking to attract an increasing number of Chinese tourists, the deputy president of the institute told trade newspaper Brasilturis.

The latest support was given at GITF 2017 – Guangzhou International Travel Fair, from 23 to 25 February an event at which the main Brazilian tourist destinations were featured in the pavilion donated by the Brazil-Guangdong Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Brazilian Consulate in that city.

The deputy president of Embratur, Tufi Michreff noted that China is now one of the world leaders in terms of potential tourists and added that the latest data from the Tourism Yearbook showed that Brazil was visited in 2015 by just over 53,000 Chinese tourists.

“It’s a significant number, but not as significant as the presence of these visitors in other regions of the world,” said Michreff, who pointed out that in 2016 Egypt and Kenya attracted about one third of all Chinese tourists and the number of these tourists visiting India grew by 45% compared to 2015.

Michreff said that given the geographical distance, Embratur had outlined a joint strategy with Argentina and other countries in South America to allow Chinese tourists to enjoy the best of the continent.