Tourism industry points out losses resulting from the requirement of visas for Americans coming to Brazil

On Wednesday (11/26), during a public hearing at the Committee for Tourism and Sports, the director of the Department of Foreigners of the Ministry of Justice, Luciano Pestana Barbosa, affirmed that the government should send to the Chamber, before the end of this year, a bill that may put an end to the requirement of visas for tourists from countries that also require visas from Brazilians, such as the United States.

Barbosa said, though, that the approval of the bill will not lead to an automatic waiver of entry visas for North Americans, as the Ministry of Tourism wants. The issue can be negotiated among governments, tough.

According to the draft bill, which is being reviewed by the Civil Office, the ministries of External Relations and of Justice may, by means of a joint act, unilaterally waive the requirement for tourism visas, if it is of Brazil’s interest.

Nowadays, according to the Foreigners Act (Law 6.815/80), Brazil must enforce the principle of reciprocity and require visas from people from countries that also require visas from Brazilians. Deputies of the Committee for Tourism and Sports want to extinguish this principle of reciprocity and allow tourists from the United States, Canada, Australia and from other developed countries to enter Brazil without a visa.

Exemption for tourists from some specific countries
During the hearing, the Bill 2430/03, proposed by the Deputy Carlos Eduardo Cadoca (PSC-PE), was also discussed. It exempts North American tourists from the obligation of getting entry visas to Brazil. The bill was approved by the Committee for External Relations and National Defense; and for Constitution and Justice and Citizenship, and is ready to be included in the agenda of the House Floor.
CCJ approved the Substitution Bill by Deputy Antonio Carlos Magalhães Neto (DEM-BA), which broadens the visa waiver to four more countries: Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, in addition to others that can be considered interesting for international tourism.

Losses
Deputy Otávio Leite (PSDB-RJ) argues that the reciprocity principle results in financial losses for Brazil. According to him, in the last 12 months, American tourists have spent 5 billion dollars (about R$11.4 billion) in Brazil, while Brazilians have spent the double in the US. Brazil will now receive 1,000,000 tourists per year, instead of the current 600,000, if the visa requirement is waived. Leite says that a second option would be adopting a simplified visa for tourists from developed countries, which would be issued in Brazil, at their arrival.

Itamaraty does not want to put an end to reciprocity
The director of the Department of Immigration and Legal Subjects of the Ministry of External Relations, Mitzi Gurgel Valente da Costa, said that Itamaraty is against the extinction of the reciprocity criterion for visa requirements, and that Brazil has not enough structure to issue visas at the airports.

According to her, it is not the visa requirement which explains the poor flow of American tourists, and of tourists coming from other rich countries to Brazil, but the negative image of Brazil abroad. She said that, despite visas not being required from British citizens, the tourists´ flow from the United Kingdom is also poor, because one can read in the newspapers about burglaries and robberies in Rio de Janeiro, about dengue, about the airport blackout every week. “This frightens people. This perception of Brazil can be changed. That will bring people in”, she affirmed.

The director of the Department of Foreigners of the Ministry of Justice, Luciano Pestana Barbosa, defends the same position. “I do not see how to soften the principle of reciprocity, which is linked to the one of sovereignty. We are favorable to international agreements allowing the entry of Brazilians in other countries, as their nationals can enter Brazil” said Barbosa.

High cost and difficulty
The head of office of the Ministry of Tourism, Carlos Alberto Silva, disagrees from his government’s colleagues. "The tourist is not only driven by news and advertising” he said. For him, the financial cost of the visa influences the tourists´ decision. We cannot give up on national sovereignty, but we have to compete against other countries to conquer the long-distance tourist”, he defended.

Deputy Edinho Bez (PMDB-SC) affirmed that that cost can ditch the tourists, especially if they have big families. The deputy, though, protested against the struggles the American government imposes to the Brazilian tourists who want to travel to the US. “They are qualified people, with good financial conditions, but do not get their visas. We need to claim for the respect Brazilian people deserve”, he affirmed.

Deputy Marcelo Teixeira (PR-CE) suggested, and both the President of the Committee for Tourism and the Committee for Regional Development and Tourism of the Senate will try to schedule an audience with the President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to address the subject.

Report - Edvaldo Fernandes
Editing - Wilson Silveira/Rejane Xavier
Translation: Positive