Yara Aquino
Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília – A stand to promote tourism in Brazil will be open at the International Tourism Fair that begins today in Madrid. Some 220 Brazilians will participate in activities at the stand. They are government or state officials in the tourism area, travel agents and tourism businessmen, along with representatives of Embratur and the Ministry of Tourism. The minister of Tourism, Walfrido dos Mares Guia, will be present at the fair which runs until Sunday.

The Madrid tourism fair is one of the world's largest. There will be 850 stands from 171 countries.

According to minister Mares Guia, participation in such events is important in the effort to promote tourism in Brazil. "We are present in 40 international tourism fairs. Then there are sectoral fairs - for diving, leisure, gastronomy. At most of these events we deal with travel agents and travel companies," explains the minister.

Translation: Allen Bennett