The announcement of new ministers in the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva brought freshness and relief to the more progressive electorate that elected him. But not all ministers were the ones we expected. For those who work with tourism, to see the sector once again divided into partisan distribution, being destined to accommodate a representative of a right-wing party, to guarantee votes in Congress, was a huge disappointment.
The worst: the new minister Daniela Carneiro, or Daniela do Waguinho, as the federal deputy elected by União Brasil in Rio de Janeiro is known, has no history in the area and still has a strong connection with the Rio de Janeiro militia, a context that seems to dialogue with the previous government. There was pressure in the media, but the minister held on to her political sponsors and did not fall.
Industry professionals, postgraduate students in Tourism and professors prepared a petition asking that the ministry be composed of “professionals with a technical, experienced and specialized profile, with a broad understanding of the social, environmental, economic and cultural dimensions of Brazilian tourism” . The document also recalls that since 2016 the tourist activity has suffered from the discontinuity of public policies, negatively impacting the sector.
This is because this is not the first government to allocate tourism to parties that need to support the government in exchange for positions. The need for a technical team ensures, according to sector representatives, that the federal agency “directs actions, creates new projects, plans, programs and helps reposition Brazil as a tourist destination.”
A good example of a country that takes tourism seriously by investing, training and recognizing the importance of the sector for the country’s economy is South Africa, which since the 2010 World Cup has improved its infrastructure and works to position the country as a tourist destination. with different possibilities.
With so much natural beauty and unique culture, Brazil still needs to do a lot of work to develop tourism and see the results with the arrival of more international tourists. Before the pandemic, the sector accounted for 8% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and investments can guarantee the expansion of this percentage.
It was Lula who created the Ministry of Tourism in 2003, the expectation now is for a portfolio that is more active and closer to entities and companies in the sector. The minister’s first challenge in her management is the budget, which was reduced by 74% compared to 2022, remaining at R$ 19 million.
For us, who work with afrotourism, the new government was the hope of seeing the sector finally being recognized and valued. The expectation is that afrotourism will be in the mapping promoted by the ministry, receive investments in the training of professionals in the area, in public policies and, with the inclusion of the racial agenda and appreciation of black culture. In other words, we hope that the Ministry of Tourism returns to its origins, with the promotion of tourist segments, with new possibilities to increase diversity, developing anti-racist tourism in all instances of the sector. And then minister, let’s talk?
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