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Punta Arenas promotes Patagonia among Brazil’s Japanese community

Monday, March 29th 2010 - 00:42 UTC
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Brazil is rapidly becoming a source of tourists for the region Brazil is rapidly becoming a source of tourists for the region

A delegation of Brazilian-Japanese tour operators and tourism agencies spent a week in Punta Arenas, guests of Chile’s Tourism Office with the purpose of promoting Chilean Patagonia among the strong and high income Asian community in Brazil.

The familiarization tour in the framework of the Patagonia Tourism Promotion program helped to gauge the significance of the Asian mainly Japanese, but also Chinese, community in Brazil, the country that is supplying the fastest growing current of tourists to discover and visit Chile.

In 2009, according to the Chilean Tourism Office, 200-797 Brazilians visited Chile, spending an estimated 208 million US dollars, which works out at an average 800 US dollars. The medium Brazilian tourist spends seven days and a half in Chile.

The delegation was headed by Dalton Takiaki from Nippak Tour, but also included other operators with offices in Sao Paulo, Japan and China. Mr. Takiaki said that the Japanese community in Brazil is economically strong, and its members spending priorities can be listed in education, housing and holidays.

“And holidays represent on average 13% of earnings, that for a high income bracket is significant”, explained Takiaki. He was supported during the talks by representatives from Wild Patagonia Polar and Asesorias y Consultorias en Turismo, Brazil.

Mr. Takiaki said the Brazilian-Japanese tourist privileges natural sceneries, plus local gastronomy, but also cautioned that for the promotion of Chilean Patagonia as a whole they would need a “services certification” with the support of local government and private institutions.

Christian Miranda, head of Chile’s regional Tourism Office revealed that the main office in Santiago has invested over 3 million US dollars last year promoting the country in Brazil.

“At the end of April we are planning another campaign”, said Miranda who added that the Brazilian Wild Patagonia Polar agency which works mainly with sports tourism (trekking, cycling, kayak) is planning an “Extreme Punta Arenas” competition.

Apparently the Brazilian Japanese delegation left quite impressed with Punta Arenas, its surroundings, clean and orderly streets, the original architecture, the difference with hectic Sao Paulo and the friendly people.
 

Categories: Tourism, Latin America.

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