October 23, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Minister of Tourism, Walfrido Mares Guia, represented President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva today at the Fair of the Americas. At the opening of the 31st Brazilian Congress of Travel Agents and the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Brazilian Association of Travel Agents (Abav), the Minister commended the entity for its decision to hold its annual congress in Rio. According to the Minister, Rio is prepared to host events and business tourism as well as leisure vacations. Mares Guia underscored the city's natural beauty, second to none, wherever you go in the world.

As regards the question of security, he said that the federal government, the Ministry of Justice, the Federal Police, and the Federal Police Intelligence Service are working together with state and municipal governments to contain the violence. Businessmen are also collaborating with this effort, the Minister added. As for organized crime, he affirmed that this is an international problem, not a circumstantial one, and he pointed out that the government is "working on this." He also stated that he doesn't want just 3 or 4 million, but 9 million foreign tourists in Brazil, by 2007. (DAS)