Carolina Pimentel
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília – President in Office, José Alencar, said this Friday (8) that the Mercosur integration should also contemplate social and cultural sectors. The bloc is integrated by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. "The affirmation of the Mercosur as a cohesive bloc in the international arena takes into account, certainly, political and economic issues. However, it is necessary to give equal importance to the social and cultural integration in this process," he said during ceremony that marked the beginning of the restoration of the seaport of São Francisco do Sul, in the state of Santa Catarina, South of Brazil.

According to Alencar, it is necessary to reactivate the cultural tourism in the region occupied by the bloc. He emphasized the importance, in this process, of the city of São Francisco do Sul, which registered a 15% increase in its tourism in the last years. "This beautiful city occupies a strategic geographic location, because it is midway between Buenos Aires and São Paulo," he said.

Translation: Andréa Alves