30 days until Paris: Embratur, Sebrae and COB’s Casa Brasil brings Brazilian taste to French capital

The countdown has begun: only 30 days until the Paris Olympic Games and the opening of Casa Brasil (“Brazil House”). Starting on July 26, the country will have an exclusive space at Parc de la Villette with music, sports, cultural performances, gastronomy and all the joy Brazilians are famous for. Casa Brasil is an initiative by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (Comitê Olímpico do Brasil/COB), sponsored by the Brazilian Tourist Board (Agência Brasileira de Promoção Internacional do Turismo/Embratur) and the      Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas/Sebrae).

Casa Brasil aims to provide over 15 million tourists visiting the park with an opportunity to learn about Brazil and fall in love with it. An Embratur campaign for Europe will promote the exuberance of sunlight, beaches and nature at Brazilian destinations, with the official launch to take place at Casa Brasil on July 27.

Casa Brasil will be a vibrant meeting point for Brazilian fans and athletes during the 17 days of the competition until August 11. Visitors will enjoy an intense program with typically Brazilian sports experiences, such as beach volleyball and “frescobol” and dance championships with axé, “passinho” and samba. For soccer enthusiasts, the matches will follow the “brazuca” style: instead of the regular goalposts and net, the famous “golzinho” (small goal) made with sandals on the ground will be the target.

Many activities are planned for the Embratur-Sebrae Arena, a sports court inspired by Brazilian urban art that will serve as the stage for interactive actions among visitors. Embratur will also sponsor a beach volleyball workshop led by Olympic champion Jackie Silva, where visitors will have the unique opportunity to learn the traditional Brazilian beach sport with a gold medalist.

Casa Brasil will have an external and an internal stages, where various musical and cultural attractions will take place. Embratur will take part in presentations with artists representing the diversity of Brazilian musical rhythms.

Embratur President Marcelo Freixo discussed the expectations for Brazil’s promotional actions in France. “We will certainly make the best Casa Brasil in Olympic Games history. Embratur has joined Sebrae and COB to make it all happen and to promote our country with the best that we have — our sports, our music and especially our joy of life will spread throughout Paris. We want to leave the international visitors with a taste of Brazil and, hopefully, with their travel plans set to come and visit our country,” he declared.

Sebrae President Décio Lima is also enthusiastic about the actions. “We are working in synergy and partnership to promote Brazilian tourism, where small businesses represent 95% of the companies making a difference. International tourism has been accumulating records; in this year’s first trimester alone, we recorded a 10.4% increase in relation to the same period in 2019. An event with the magnitude of the Olympics is the perfect opportunity to boost this movement,” stated Lima.

COB Marketing Director Gustavo Herbetta celebrated the partnership. “Being able to count on Embratur and Sebrae as Casa Brasil partners allows the COB to deliver the Team Brazil fans and visitors from other countries —our main audience— our project’s main concept, which is combining the best of what we have to promote our country: our sports, our wonderful destinations and our culture in the unique experiences we will offer in this space,” he highlighted.

Casa Brasil will be open every day from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Embratur-Sebrae program is scheduled for 4:20 p.m. to 6 p.m.