Celso Sabino expects 150 international delegations at COP30 in Belém

Tourism Minister Celso Sabino stated on Wednesday, June 19, during his first participation in “Bom Dia, Ministro” (“Good Morning, Minister”), that he is certain that the country will host an acclaimed and prestigious edition of the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP30) in Belém, in 2025.

“The movement to contain climate change has gained relevance and the number of people who take part in COPs is increasing, as is its significance to the whole planet. The COP in Brazil will gather the largest number of authorities at the same time,” he said.

All Brazilian ministries are working to ensure that Belém has the best possible infrastructure to receive all these people, with road infrastructure, basic sanitation at airports and hospitality projects”
Celso Sabino, Minister of Tourism

He notice that kings, princes, presidents, prime ministers, heads of State and of government from all over the world have participated in COPs. “We are already expecting 150 delegations. We will have the opportunity to show the world the quality of Brazilian hospitality.”

To achieve the desired success, explained Sabino, Brazil faces two challenges. The first is presenting projects, solutions and alternatives to prevent climate change and promote environmental preservation. The second is ensuring that tourists visiting Belém are treated with hospitality, care and comfort and become promoters of Brazilian tourism in their own countries.

“All Brazilian ministries are working to ensure that Belém has the best possible infrastructure to receive all these people, with road infrastructure, basic sanitation at airports and hospitality projects. President Lula created an extraordinary secretariat in connection with the Official Staff House—and the secretary is in Belém working not only on infrastructure, but also on supporting micro and small business owners in order to expand the hotel network and the number of beds available,” explained Celso Sabino.

Ahead of COP30, funding is being granted for accommodation facilities, tourism agencies, transport companies, event organizers, theme parks, tourist camps, restaurants, cafes, bars and the like. In partnership with the government of Pará and the city of Belém, professional training for app drivers and foreign languages training for customer service workers in hotels, bars and restaurants are all underway.

RIO GRANDE DO SUL — During the hour-long interview, Minister Celso Sabino also highlighted tourism as part of the great efforts that are being made to reconstruct Rio Grande Sul—such as promotional campaigns that work towards making tourism take a leading role in the resumption of economic development in the state.

“We have a campaign called ‘Não Cancele, Reagende’  ('Don't Cancel, Reschedule') your visit to Rio Grande do Sul, so that Brazilians and foreigners who have purchased packages, hotels, inns, plane tickets, don't give up on getting to know this region, but reschedule to another time,” explained the Minister.

“We are also running a campaign to raise funds for the reconstruction of public infrastructure in Rio Grande do Sul, with events throughout practically all of Brazil during the traditional June festivities. We show promotional videos of Rio Grande do Sul’s attractions and a QR Code for people to make donations to rebuild the state’s public and tourism infrastructure.”

Sabino said he is optimistic as to the recovery of Rio Grande do Sul's airway network. “There will be, without a doubt, three new airports in operation—either new or expanded. And we have been working on the possibility of building a new airport in Vila Oliva, 20 to 30 kilometers away from Gramado. We are working on the expansion of Canela and Caxias airports. I am sure that Salgado Filho Airport will be back in full operation sooner than we imagined.”

“Good Morning, Minister” featured live participation of journalists from the following radio stations: Nacional (Brasília), Campina FM (Campina Grande), BandNews (Rio de Janeiro), Liberal (Belém), Tiradentes/BNC (Manaus), Clube (Recife) and Vox (Timóteo).

Check out the highlights of the interview below:

COP30 — We have carried out several actions in the state and it is important that the entire country knows how important it is to host COP30, the COP of the Rainforest, the COP of Brazil. This movement by the United Nations to contain climate change has gained relevance, increased participation and increasing significance to the planet. The last one was in Dubai. This year, in Baku and next year, in Belém. This COP will perhaps bring to our country the moment in which more authorities will be together at the same moment on Brazilian soil. Kings, princes, presidents, prime ministers, heads of state and heads of government have participated in COPs all around the world. We are already expecting 150 delegations from all over the world. And these delegations have always been headed by heads of government or of State. In Brazil, we will have the opportunity to show our country to the whole world—the quality of Brazilian hospitality.

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES - We are facing two major challenges. The first is to contribute significantly with projects, solutions and alternatives to contain climate change, preserve the environment, keep forests standing and water sources clean. The second is to receive all these people with great affection, hospitality, comfort, so that they can serve as disseminators and promoters of our country abroad.  

TAKING ACTION — The Federal Government has worked hard to ensure that the people who are coming to Belém have the opportunity to get to know Ceará, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, the Northeast, the South and the Center-West, for example. We are working hard to ensure that Belém has the best possible infrastructure to receive all these people, with road and basic sanitation projects at the airports. Hospitality and hotel rooms. President Lula created an extraordinary secretariat that is directly connected to his Oficial Staff House; the secretary is in Belém and has also worked to support micro and small business owners in order to expand the hotel network and the number of beds available.

QUALIFICATION — We are also investing, in partnership with the government of Pará and the city of Belém, in professional qualification and improvement of foreign languages ​​for app drivers, hotel receptionists, bars and restaurants. I'm sure we'll put on a great show in November 2025 and we'll have the best COP to date. Not only for our hospitality, for our cuisine from Belém—recognized by UNESCO as a smart gastronomic city—but for everything we have to offer and the solutions we will present. It is the first time that world leaders will have the opportunity to discuss the forest from within it.

CREDIT FOR HOTELS — Yesterday we did a great business’s deal with Basa, Pará State Bank (Banco do Estado do Pará), banks Caixa Econômica Federal and Banco do Brasil, the national development bank BNDES and around 200 businesspeople from the hospitality sector, specifically, taking hundreds of millions of reais in financing. There are BRL 200 million from Fungetur, which offers special conditions, one of the best credits on the market. Our expectation was to sign contracts yesterday, already. We have started building new hotels to receive these people.

RIO GRANDE DO SUL — We are hopeful and dedicated to making this economic activity (tourism) the locomotive that will drive the resumption of economic development in Rio Grande do Sul. Our main bottleneck was the inoperation of the airports, especially the Salgado Filho, in Porto Alegre, which received the most tourists in Rio Grande do Sul going to the Serra Gaúcha region, Bento Gonçalves, Gramado, Canela etc. But the Federal Government immediately established a war operation, adapting the airport in Canoas. We will come out bigger and better from this entire crisis. We are going to have three new airports in operation— either new or expanded—and we have been working on the idea of building a new airport in Vila Oliva, 20 to 30 kilometers away from Gramado. We are working on the expansion of Canela and Caxias airports. And Salgado Filho Airport will return to full operation sooner than we imagined.

CAMPAIGNS IN RS — If you do not know it yet, you cannot miss the opportunity to get to know the beautiful Rio Grande do Sul, the beautiful Serra Gaúcha, taste its wonderful cuisine; try the excellent wines of the region. This campaign is part of the Federal Government's efforts to make tourism the driving force behind the resumption of economic development in the state. We have a campaign called "Não Cancele, Reagende", so that Brazilians and foreigners who have purchased packages, hotels, inns, plane tickets, do not give up on visiting this region, but rather reschedule to another time.

BRAZIL'S IMAGE — Since President Lula took office, our country's image has improved a lot abroad. The image of our country has been significantly transformed. Today, Brazil is recognized as a country of economic, social, political and financial stability. A few months ago, the World Bank recognized the country as the 9th economy in the world. And now, last month, it has already recognized that the expectation for the end of this year is for Brazil to reach eighth place, potentially becoming the 7th largest economy in the world. This is truly a reason to celebrate.

SAFE BRAZIL — An important fact: many people outside the country spread fake news that we are living in an urban war here. This is not true. And who is saying this is not the minister of Tourism, President Lula or the Brazilian government. Who is saying this is the largest travel insurance company in the United States. Its name is Berkshire Hathaway. It cannot make mistakes; it needs to make a profit. And, to calculate the price of insurance, it carries out an annual survey. It collects data from the United States Department of State, public health and public safety departments all over the planet and conducts thousands of interviews with tourists. And, last year, Brazil jumped 27 positions in this insurance company's survey and, today, we are the safest country in all of South America for tourism. The second in the Americas and the 15th in the world.

FOREIGN TOURISM — We closed the first four months with half the number of foreign tourists than our historical record. In four months, half. The record is 6.4 million foreign tourists. We closed January, February, March and April with 3 million. We still have eight months to go, July holidays, public holidays, São João, September 7th, November 15th, Christmas and New Year's Eve. We are on the right path.

UN IN RJ — We have won the right, from the UN, to have an official, regional, UN office for tourism in Brazil, to take care of all of America, all of America. The UN's all-America public policy will be held in Rio de Janeiro. We are taking important and bold steps that are already producing results.

FESTAS JUNINAS — We are investing in the São João festivities. We want to make São João equal to Carnival in terms of movement of foreign and national tourists in Brazil. This Carnival we broke the record, with almost 50 million travelers touring Brazil. And we want to reach a similar number by the end of this São João. We are investing throughout the Brazilian Northeast, also promoting it with a promotional campaign.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Last year, Rio de Janeiro broke its pre-pandemic records—and this year we are easily surpassing last year's numbers. So I am sure that, this year, Rio de Janeiro will surpass all historical records for tourist visitation. We already have data showing that the search for tourist packages in Rio de Janeiro, from specialized websites, Brazilians searching for "Rio de Janeiro", "hotels", "inns", "tourist attractions" has increased by more than 20% compared to last year. When Brazil is doing well, Rio de Janeiro directly mirrors this good phase, this good streak that we have been experiencing.

TOURISM IN PARAÍBA — Paraíba has done a great job of promoting tourism. The governor and the tourism department have been our tireless partners, participating in international fairs, promoting the state and matuta, which is the cachaça from Paraíba, one of the best in the world. And the beaches. We did a great job with the implementation of Polo Cabo Branco, in João Pessoa, which is extraordinary. In fact, I have spoken to other governors and said: visit João Pessoa and Cabo Branco to be inspired and do the same. It is extraordinary work. Five new resorts are being built in this hub, on the beachfront. Amazing. First World resorts. In fact, the first one will be ready for New Year's Eve this year.

PARINTINS — The Federal Government is breaking records in supporting the event. The Ministry of Tourism obtained support of BRL 10 million, BRL 5 million for each of the two spectacles. Petrobras ensured BRL 1.5 million. The Post Office another BRL 450 thousand. This adds up to almost BRL 12 million for this event, which is the country’s largest cultural festival, one of the largest on the planet, attracting more than 200 thousand people. And it is extraordinary. Parintins—may the samba artists from Rio forgive me—is better than Marquês de Sapucaí and Cirque du Soleil together. The spectacle is truly extraordinary, unimaginable and beautiful. It is two and a half hours for Caprichoso’s spectacle, two and a half hours for Garantido’s. People are always thrilled. The crowd, the audience, the fans are part of the spectacle. More than BRL 2 million were injected into the economy of the entire region during this period.

PERNAMBUCO — There is a much better perspective compared to last year. The number we have to date shows that we will reach close to 40 million tourists for São João. This year's events are extraordinary. In Recife, in Caruaru, in various places in Pernambuco, events have mobilized hundreds of thousands of people.