24 unique tourist routes throughout Brazil have just been identified and will undergo specific preparations to cater for the massive influx of visitors expected for the 2014 World Cup. The initiative is part of the “Talents of Rural Brazil” project and brings together three Brazilian Ministries: MTur (Tourism), MDA (Agricultural Development) and Sebrae (Support for micro and small companies), which jointly determined the 24 routes, two each from the twelve 2014 Cup host cities.
The selection process took into account 119 proposals, all fulfilling the obligatory requirements of being within three hours of a host city and having more than 10% of the project involving family agricultural businesses. The proposals also had to be fully developed tourism ‘products', ready to be commercialised. The winning 24 will now be fully evaluated and checked accuracy, following which they will begin to receive special support for promotion and commercialisation.
One of the key aims of the initiative is to strengthen the Brazilian agricultural sector at the family level, adding tourism services to the existing mix of products on offer.