Gilson Machado Neto, who became president of Embratur in April, said he hopes Brazil’s six million annual international tourist arrivals could “even reach 20 million” if he gets the rubber-stamp on a raft of regulatory changes to facilitate growth.
These include changes to gaming laws to allow casinos in Brazil for the first time, with plans to develop several integrated “clusters” of hotels and casinos. They also include softening certain maritime laws, to make it more attractive for cruise ships to visit Brazil’s ports. “Carnival Corporation is poised to invest $1.5 billion in Rio de Janeiro,” he told TTG at WTM London.
