The Ministry of Tourism was created in 2003 with the objective of developing tourism as a sustainable economic activity with a relevant role in generating employment in Brazilian society. Starting this year, EMBRATUR, (Institution of the Ministry of Tourism) began to act in the promotion, marketing and product support and services abroad for Brazilian tourist destinations.

To focus EMBRATUR’s new mission, the Aquarela Plan-International Tourist Marketing in Brazil was created, to serve as a base for all the promotional activities and communication from Brazil to other countries.

“Brazil, Sensational!" was the concept of the campaign, based on the idea that Brazilian diversity affords the foreign tourist unique experiences. According to statistics, 94% of tourists who came to Brazil would recommend it as a tourist destination.

It was necessary to bring up to speed, the relationship between Brazil and the international press, and also public opinion and those that form it. The idea was to strengthen the coverage of the main national destinations in the world’s most respected media outlets. Therefore it was necessary to call the attention of foreign journalists from many places in the world. The idea was to use public relations activities to appeal to the major areas of tourist activity: Sun and beach, Ecotourism, Sports, Culture and Business and Events.

The Public Relations’ activities executed were:Following the ad launch in these markets: Argentina - Oct 2008Peru - Oct 2008Chile - Oct 2008 USA - Sept 2008UK - Sept 2008 These activities were carried out around this event in each market:• Campaign launch event (with the presence of Brazil’s President in USA).

• Collective Interviews.• Advising the Brazilian authorities.• Distribution of material of support.• Preparation of EMBRATUR speakers.• Support to the press.• Video for viral marketing.• Cellular technology-Bluetooth activity.• Specialized mailings.• Strategic Media events.

The result of these activities generated a great interest by the media all around the world. From articles in press and internet as well as radio and TV, public relations activities brought a vast return in free advertising for the campaign and the country.New York:16 American specialised media outlets and 29 Brazilian correspondents were present at the “Brazil, Sensational!” campaign launch. In total, more than 200 people attended, including Brazil’s president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. More than 3 million people were reached through coverage of the event.

London:Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Brazilian soccer team’s ex-coach and Chelsea’s ex manager attended the event. English media outlets published articles about the event (ABTA magazine, Selling Long Haul, Travel Weekly, Breaking Travel News, Mad.co.uk and Marketing.co.uk) Peru:The campaign launch had an impact on nine large local media outlets both written and digital, surpassing the mark of one million people reached with the coverage (Business Empresarial, Diario Gestion, Travel Update, Terra, Diario Gestion, T-News, Agencia Orbita, Diario Correo, Diario El Comercio).

To guarantee that the public relations activities achieved the results expected (they were surpassed), EMBRATUR utilized diverse tools that allowed for the objectives to be achieved. The strategy was to strengthen the relationship between Brazil and the international media, to involve public opinion and raise interest and knowledge about the country.

The Aquarela Plan served as support for researching and planning public relations activities. The Plan defines five segments of work based on foreign tourist behaviour: Sun and Beach, Ecotourism, Sports, Culture and Business and Events. According to a research by Vox Populi, more than half the people who visited Brazil responded that the Brazilian people are the most positive thing about the country. These numbers can clearly be seen in the growth of foreign tourists coming to Brazil. Studies carried out by The Getulio Vargas Foundation and the Central Bank show that the volume of foreign exchange revenue coming from international tourism has grown annually.