European Travel Commission (ETC) targets Tourists from Latin America

The European Travel Commission (ETC) exhibited at World Travel Market (WTM) Latin America in Sao Paulo (Brazil) from April 23-25, 2014. ETC and the National Tourism Organizations of Flanders (Belgium), Ireland, Italy and Spain together with partner organizations ETOA and Eurail exhibited at a common stand under the VisitEurope brand.

During the fair, ETC organized a panel discussion on the Brazilian Outbound Travel Market. Alejandro Varela from UNWTO presented in-depth information on the Brazilian source market with a special insight into the image of Europe as a destination, after which panel speakers considered the latest consumer trends of the Brazilian outbound travel market and discussed the opportunities and challenges of promoting Europe as a destination in Brazil. Panel speakers included Marco Ferraz, President of BRAZTOA (Brazilian Tour Operator Association), Tom Jenkins, Executive Director of ETOA (European Tour Operators Association) and Joost Schuring, Vice President Latin America of Amadeus.

Furthermore, ETC launched the Portuguese version of the Visit Europe application during a presentation at the Visit Europe booth. The travel application, referred to as "VisitEurope App", aims to lead users through the overall experience of the trip planning; from the initial inspiration phase through the research stage and finally the booking. The VisitEurope App has been developed by Amadeus for ETC and is available on the iPad App Store: and a desktop version of the iPad App is available as well

Key travel trends in Brazil

Between 2000 and 2012, there was a 74% increase in the volume of outbound trips made by Brazilians. In 2013, Europe attracted 53.9% of Brazilian total long-haul travelers (3.8 million). The "big six" destinations that dominate in Europe are France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom and Germany.

Between 2000 and 2012, expenditure of Brazilian travelers grew at an impressive rate of 337%. For 2013, UNWTO estimated an increase of 14% in outbound expenditure, making Brazil the 12th largest spender in the world.

Another highlight are the social media, which have become a very influential channel among the 70.9 million internet users in the country. According to the study Understanding Brazilian Outbound Tourism - What the Brazilian Blogosphere is Saying About Europe (2013), conducted by ETC in partnership with UNWTO (World Tourism Organization), eight of ten social media users in Brazil say they look for special offers via social media. Blogs, microblogs, forums, and social networks have become important platforms for sharing thoughts and opinions about travel destinations.