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*Caption for photo at the foot of page

One only needs to go back as far as 2012 to notice that the hosts of major sporting events tend to be criticized over the same factors on the build up to an ‘Opening ceremony’. This ‘cloud of negativity’ only seems to dissipate once the tournament begins and gains popular backing. The London Olympics was a case in point, with a number of dissenting voices pointing to cost, sustainability and legacy as reasons why the games were not good for the city and nation. 

The dark clouds of doubt hung over London until the Olympic torch was lit and then almost overnight, rays of positivity beamed down on the Olympic stadium as national fervour and support reached unprecedented levels. It seems that a similar pattern has emerged for Brazil to contend with; Infrastructure and safety are a couple of hot issues to have made the headlines, but I suspect as soon as the first competitive ball is kicked by the home nation, the various components will slot together seamlessly as the FIFA blue print dictates, allowing minds to turn to the competition on the pitch.

At a recent press conference, His Excellency Mr. Roberto Jaguaribe, Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom, said “eyes are firmly set on the long term vision for tourism that the World Cup will bring, look how our economy has grown in just a few years”. “We are the 5^th or 6^th biggest economy in the world and continuing to grow”. The Ambassador also highlighted how this has brought about social change in Brazil with the population having the money and opportunity to enjoy more leisure activities. As a result Brazilians travel more domestically, so the country is well used to meeting the demands of domestic tourism which dwarfs that of the 600K fans expected to descend on Brazil during the 30 days of the tournament “logistically we can easily handle that”.

He also said that ‘football’ is the fundamental factor for national and social integration, “it is pretty much a ‘religion’ in Brazil”, with the country having taken part in all World Cups since the start and winning on five occasions. However, a country (the size of a continent) cannot be unanimous in their love of the ‘beautiful game’, so there is bound to be some doubters asking questions over the cost of FIFA’s flagship tournament, but the Ambassador sights the problems London had pre-Olympics and makes a valid comparison. The “recent social manifestations will not challenge the success of the event”, on this point the ambassador was clear.

Leila Holsbach, Director of International Markets for Embratur said the main message from Embratur was to showcase the diversity of a country that incorporates the Amazon Rain Forest within its borders. English fans and the England team will have a chance to experience this diversity with games in Manaus, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte. These three cities will be highlighted on our TV screens come the 14^th, 19^th and 24^th June respectively.

Representatives from each city were unanimous in their opinion that English fans can really expect to taste the regional diversity from each city they will visit in terms of culture, geography and cuisine. Manaus has a strong English influence, due to early English settlers, who during the industrialisation helped create the architecture within the city and is an opportunity for, as Mr. João Carvalho de Araújo, Head of Tourist Promotions and the Marketing Department for Amazonastur said, for ‘English fans to rediscover Manaus’.

Mr. Orlando de Souza, Marketing Director at Sao Paulo Tourism Office and Chairman of the Board at São Paulo Convention & Visitors Bureau introduced ‘Sao Paolo’ as a city of 12 million inhabitants. Their emphasis, within such a large metropolis, is being placed on ease of access to games, with a new airport terminal ready for business and a specific ‘Expresso da Copa’ train that will take fans from Sao Paolo central station direct to the football stadium in just 18 minutes.

England will play their final group game in Belo Horizonte, home to one of the largest stadiums in Brazil (which was praised during the Confederations Cup). Other teams being hosted in the city will be Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Mr Camillo Fraga Reis, Minas Gerais Municipal Secretary for the World Cup, also mentioned that the British Olympic team will use Belo Horizonte as their training base ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games.

The main message from Brazil is that it is most definitely ‘’Ready’’ for the tournament. All stadia will be handed over to FIFA from early April. Infrastructure is in place and won’t prove a challenge for fans visiting the country, as they are already well used to a huge domestic tourism market traversing the country on an annual basis.

HE Ambassador Carlos Henrique Cardim, Chief International Advisory to the Ministry of Sport in Brazil said that the UK created football but Brazil re-created football and helped its globalization. Brazil is a “country of immigration and diversity, from both geographic and social perspectives, and Brazilians are spontaneous and special people, so acceptance of foreigners and implementation of safety measures will make this a very safe and enjoyable event”.

Embratur’s publicity campaign aims to invite people to ‘Come to our home’ and enjoy the culture and diversity of a country the size of a continent. BRAZIL is most definitely READY, the only question that remains is, in the words of the Ambassador Mr. Roberto Jaguaribe, “can Brazil’s national team collect their 6^th World Cup Title?’ a question that will be answered very soon, but who would bet against them!

Caption for photo:

Goal to Brazil, London, Wednesday 19th March 2014. From the left, clockwise: João Carvalho de Araújo, Head of Tourist Promotions and the Marketing Department for Amazonastur; Leila Holsbach, Director of International Markets for Embratur; HE Roberto Jaguaribe, Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Fuleco, 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Official Mascot; HE Ambassador Carlos Henrique Cardim, Chief International Advisory to the Ministry of Sport in Brazil; Orlando de Souza, Marketing Director at Sao Paulo Tourism Office and Chairman of the Board at São Paulo Convention & Visitors Bureau; Camillo Fraga Reis, Minas Gerais Municipal Secretary for the World Cup.