Brazil is hoping to give new wings to a tourism sector that remains hobbled since Covid-19, by boosting its eco-credentials when it hosts COP30 in 2025.
Though it is the custodian of nearly 60% of the Amazon, one of the world’s most crucial carbon sinks and cradles of biodiversity, Brazil’s image as a tourist destination is dominated by beach and carnival culture, rather than being seen as a mecca for lovers of nature or the environment. Just 9% of the country’s visitors, according to Tourism Minister Celso Sabino, come for the ecotourism, whereas around 60% come for the sun and the sand.
In contrast, Costa Rica for example, has been a pioneer for ecotourism for two decades and, notably, has long beaten Brazil for the percentage of its GDP generated through tourism, around 12% versus Brazil’s paltry 8%.
Holding COP30 in the heart of the forest is a powerful reminder of our responsibility to keep the planet within our 1.5°C target.
Marina Silva, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change
That is about to change. As Brazil prepares to welcome COP30 next year in the northern Amazon gateway city of Belém, the country is turning its gaze deliberately to sustainability and environmental awareness in a conscious effort to draw in a different type of visitor. “COP30 next year will be more than just a conference. It is a very strategic event that will showcase Brazil as a country that protects the environment and preserves nature,” Marina Figueiredo, executive president of Braztoa, a trade body for Brazilian tour operators, told Reuters.
Meanwhile, the country has been pursuing new cruises, carriers and aviation routes as it looks to raise its tourism game. This year TAP Air Portugal alone expanded its network in Brazil to 91 weekly flights, adding 11 new weekly services, including to Belém, from Europe. Action is ongoing to grow flight and cruise capacity further.
Encouraging international travel while purporting to be eco-conscious may seem hypocritical, but it is a contradiction the country’s officials are prepared to defend. “Tourism is essential for the sustainability and preservation of forests, bringing needed economic development for the local inhabitants,” Sabino has said.
If COP30 can provide the ecotourism springboard that many are anticipating, the segment is rich with possibilities, according to travel industry stakeholders. “Brazil has a natural vocation for ecotourism given its unique biodiversity. There is an enormous potential to be tapped,” Figueiredo said.
What’s more, the timing is fortuitous. Brazil’s switch in focus to ecotourism comes at a time when travel consumers around the world are seeking out authentic experiences, outdoor pursuits and contact with the natural world.
