Embratur boosts more than 70,000 seats on international flights to Brazil through PATI

In the first round of signature of acceptance letters for the Pilot Program for the Acceleration of International Tourism (PATI), the three projects contemplated represent an increase of 70,222 new seats on international flights to Brazil, in the period from October 27, 2024 to March 29, 2025, compared to the same period of the previous year. This represents an increase of more than 3,200 weekly seats.

According to a projection by Embratur's Data Intelligence Management, which considers the historical average of airplane occupancy by international tourists, the impact on the Brazilian economy with the arrival of new visitors through this increase in flights will be US$ 25 million (R $ 134 million).

This Tuesday (11), the president of the Agency, Marcelo Freixo, the Minister of Ports and Airports (MPor), Silvio Costa Filho, and the substitute Minister of Tourism (MTur), Ana Carla Lopes, announced the delivery of acceptance letters to Azul Linhas Aéreas, Latam Airlines and Guarulhos Airport, in partnership with the airline Iberia.

The Latam flight connects Lima (Peru) with the Curitiba airport (PR), the Azul flight connects Assunção (Paraguay) with the Viracopos airport (SP), and the Iberia flight, in a proposal sent by the GRU Airport (Guarulhos Airport), aims to increase the frequency from 7 to 14 weekly flights on the route that connects the terminal with Madrid (Spain).

For Embratur president Marcelo Freixo, the increase in the number of seats represents much more than the expansion of air connectivity with the outside world. “We all want the largest number of international tourists in Brazil. This is something that the airline wants, that the government wants, that Embratur wants and that society wants because it means generating jobs and income. In 2023 we broke the record for international tourism revenue and these first four months of 2024 are already a record compared to last year in terms of revenue. This means that we are on the right track,” he said.

The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ana Carla Lopes, stated that “the creation of a PATI in Brazil is a pioneering movement that involved the actions of many institutions focused on promoting our destinations in a global and competitive market such as the international market.” “Allied to the credibility of this new Brazil, committed to sustainability, PATI helps us to expand, with the world, all our tourism potential,” she added.

The amount invested in this first round is R$ 1,613,040, resources from the National Civil Aviation Fund (FNAC) arising from the alliance between Embratur and the two ministries. The airlines are investing around three times that amount: R$ 4,831,960. The total investment in the promotion of Brazilian destinations abroad will be R$ 6,445,000.

The Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, highlighted the important role of tourism for the country's economy. “This international agenda has been fundamental for us to be able to strengthen this development agenda. For every four tourists who come to Brazil, one job is created, and this is a clean industry, an industry that generates jobs quickly, an industry that, in fact, further consolidates the strengthening of the Brazilian economy.”

The president of the Mixed Parliamentary Front in Defense of Tourism of the Chamber, deputy Felipe Carreras (PSB-PE), believes that, through PATI, tourism will have an even more positive impact on the country's economic chain. "This program represents such an important and noble function, which is to promote tourism in Brazil and have new alternatives, new connected destinations, and much more than giving Brazilians the convenience of having a direct flight to another international destination, it is to provide them with that tourists from Europe, from other markets, can come to Brazil. The tourist who comes to Brazil goes from an Uber driver, a taxi driver, a restaurant, an inn, a maid, a waiter, cleaning staff, that is, there are 52 segments that are impacted," he said.

Good result
As the total value of the first call for PATI is R$ 3.3 million, a public investment of another R$ 1.6 million will be announced in the second round of contract signings. PATI was inspired by development policies implemented by countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland and Sweden. Executed by Embratur in collaboration with MTur and MPor, the project foresees the implementation of a public-private partnership (PPP) to increase the number of seats and international flights to Brazilian destinations.

Freixo welcomed the good result. “We carried out a pilot project to test the market’s adherence to the new tool and the result was within expectations. We had great support from airlines and airports. We have a good tool to expand our connectivity and bring more international tourists to Brazil. PATI represents this: more flights, more foreign visitors and, consequently, more investment in our economy and generation of jobs and income,” he said.

The Director of Corporate Affairs, Regulatory Affairs and Sustainability of Latam Brazil, Maria Elisa Curcio, was also optimistic about the numbers. “Latam is the main gateway for thousands of foreigners who visit our country every year because we are the airline that connects Brazil with the world the most. But we have a lot to do to increase this number of travelers. In this sense, the alliance with Embratur and the investment in new routes such as Curitiba-Lima make our commitment to bring people and companies from other parts of the world to Brazil even more strategic, especially in the interconnection of the Global South,” she said.

The president of Aeroportos do Brasil (ABR), Fábio Rogério Carvalho, was another who celebrated the signing of PATI. “The result of this program is not just to show some numbers, but to see that this policy is credible, that it is capable of generating new seats, bringing more foreigners, more flights, more people to Brazil and, above all, generating jobs for a population that needs these jobs in areas that we have so much to show in the country. Therefore, it is a joy for Brazilian airports to embark on this project,” he said.  

The director of External Relations of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Marcelo Pedroso, also praised the initiative. “Everything is largely the result of the sum, of the political will to make things happen and the work of a qualified technical team, such as Embratur. From the point of view of our representation as a sector, this process is fundamental and, certainly, expands the opportunities that Brazil has to explore new sources of tourists.”

Azul's Director of Institutional Relations, César Grandolfo, highlighted that the incentives will strengthen the air connection between Asunción (PAR) and Viracopos Airport, in Campinas (SP). “We are very pleased with this incorporation of PATI, since the financial incentives we will receive to promote our flight in the international market will contribute to making the connection between Viracopos and Assunção very successful in Azul's air network,” he said.

João Pita, Commercial and Cargo Terminal Director, was another who reiterated the importance of the program. “The increase in Iberia flights to Spain is very special for GRU Airport. In the Winter 24 season, GRU will reach a record number of weekly flights to both Spain (33 weekly flights) and Europe (169 weekly flights). With the support of Embratur, the plan to promote the route to Madrid is a very important milestone, which shows in an unprecedented way the joint commitment (airline, airport and Embratur) to the promotion of international tourism. We are in a moment of great optimism regarding Brazil and the growth of its tourism, which has unique potential,” he said.

PATI numbers
In the first stage of the pilot program, airlines and terminals had between March 20 and May 17 of this year to present their projects. In total, PATI received 123 proposals for new flights or increased frequency of existing flights. Companies sent 76 proposals (64% of the total), airports sent 41 and Embratur received another six without identification. The number of applications demonstrates the good acceptance of the sector.

Among the proposals submitted, 23 propose to connect Brazilian cities without any direct international route. In the regional section, the proponents sent 50 proposals to the Southeast region and 30 to the South; the Northeast had 29, the Center-West four and the North one. Among the 21 criteria of the call for proposals, the compensations offered in the promotion plans were decisive in obtaining the highest scores.

If the call for proposals had the volume of resources to finance the 120 qualified proposals, 932,617 new seats could be created on international flights to Brazil, in the period from October 27, 2024 to March 29, 2025.

Fuente: Embratur.