Brazil has taken another step towards protecting tourists on trips to Brazil. This month, the Consumer and Tourism Technical Committee was established, consisting of a panel of professionals linked to tourism and law, with the goal of producing a plan to resolve consumer disputes, including undelivered purchases of tourism products. The intention is to improve the quality of products and services and consumer relations, with an emphasis on the 2014 World Cup.

The European Union, the United States, China, South Africa, Uruguay, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Russia have endorsed the text presented by Brazil, which defends the right to information, mutual assistance to tourists and access to justice in the visited country, avoiding consumer disputes and recognition of decisions.

At the international level, Brazil leads the implementation of projects for the protection of the tourist consumer. An example of this is the Brazilian proposal for the International Convention for the Protection of the Tourist Consumer and Visitor, included on the agenda of the Hague Conference on Private International Law in April this year.

The Ministry of Tourism is part of the Committee, which is led by the National Consumer Bureau of the Ministry of Justice (Senacon/MJ) and brings together ministries, bodies and regulatory agencies. The committee will coordinate the tourist consumer protection actions, one of the lines of action under the National Consumption and Citizenship Plan (Plandec), launched in March 2013 by President Dilma Rousseff.

Director of Structuring, Coordination and Tourism Planning for the Ministry of Tourism, Ítalo Mendes says that the Ministry of Tourism is joining forces with the Committee to make it more appropriate for the services offered to tourists. "Not only because of the importance of the major events that Brazil will host in the coming years, but, above all, to improve the quality and increase the competitiveness of tourism products and companies in Brazil," he said.

Leadership in Mercosur - Another example of the leading role Brazil plays can be seen in the pilot project for tourist consumer and visitor service within the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), which includes participation from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Venezuela. The project aims to cater for the tourist consumer from these countries through the form provided by participating consumer defense agencies, while promoting the exchange of information on complaints and measures needed.

Source:
Ministry of Tourism

27 July 2013