In a hearing at the Tourism Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, the Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, presented the National Plan for the Development of Tourism, which has been openly discussed with society and which will be implemented by the end of September to President Lula.
In the document, the minister highlights the importance of approving the Provisional Measure (PM) that changes the law on lotteries so that, “with this, we receive 1% of the total collected, which would represent approximately R$ 200 million per year.”
It also has the urgent regulation of Law 14,455/2022, which instituted the Tourism and Health Lottery, which provides for the allocation of 5% of the collection to Embratur.
Celso Sabino also hopes that the Ministry of Tourism will receive part of the income from sports betting, in order to guarantee the promotion of tourism in Brazil. His expectation is that 2.5% of the collection will be directed to his folder.
Sabino has the authority to discuss the subject, since in the last legislature he participated as a member of the Working Group to define a regulatory framework for gaming in Brazil, when he voted in favor of the final report of Bill 442/1991, which is currently pending in the Senate. “Legalization opens the doors of Brazil to the world. Regulation needs to happen to attract international tourists,” he said.
The legalization of casinos and other gaming verticals has become a viable alternative for the Ministry of Finance to raise revenue to tackle actions to increase the number of tourists visiting Brazil and encourage domestic tourism.
Sabino lamented the lack of funds for promoting tourism in Brazil and pointed out places that receive more tourists, such as Argentina, which has twice the number of visitors.
“While Brazil received 3.6 million international tourists, Argentina reached the level of 7.4 million. The Eiffel Tower alone had more than 7 million visitors last year and the state of Florida alone, in the United States, received almost 10 million,” he exemplified to reinforce that Brazil needs to create mechanisms of attraction and that depends on financial resources.
The deputies were in favor of the Plan presented by Sabino and committed themselves to expanding the debate on ways to increase the revenue of the Ministry of Tourism. It is worth mentioning that once again the deputies Bacelar and Vermelho once again defended the legalization of all types of gaming to reinforce the ministry's cash and other government actions, as well as to generate hundreds of thousands of jobs in Brazil.
Source: GMB
