by: Jessica Ferreira
The latest agreement between Brazil and China in the aviation sector will bring the two countries even closer together, as Chinese tourists now have an easier option for visiting Brazil, with a direct flight from Beijing to Guarulhos airport, in São Paulo.
With the longest route in the world, crossing four continents and 11 countries, the journey will be made on a Boeing 787 – 9, with capacity for 293 passengers and will take 25 hours and 55 minutes with the direct option, whereas previously the same journey between Beijing and São Paulo could take up to 30 hours, between flights and stopovers.
“China is already an important trading partner for Brazil, but we need to expand this relationship in the field of tourism, since it’s now one of the main sources of tourism in the world. The direct flight option is one more way of reducing distances. Now Brazil and China are closer than ever,” highlighted the Brazilian Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino.
With the aim of attracting more international flights to Brazil, the federal government has launched the International Tourism Acceleration Program (PATI), a result of a partnership between the Brazillian Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Ports and Airports and Embratur. The program operates on two fronts: increasing the supply of regular seats on international flights and improving the tourist experience at Brazilian airports.
As a part of the initiative’s first line of action, call for tenders was published to encourage Brazilian and foreign airlines to establish new scheduled flights to tourist destinations in the country and, subsequently, the selected companies will receive financial incentives to promote Brazilian tourist destinations on the international market, encouraging foreigners to get to know the South American country.
