SÃO PAULO: As the biggest exporter of halal protein in the world, Brazil is now aiming to attract Muslim tourists, a group that generates an income of $238 billion every year.
Currently, the number of visitors to the South American country coming from Muslim-majority countries is rather low. São Paulo, Brazil’s major economic hub, for instance, welcomed only 21,500 tourists from Arab nations last year.
People like Ali Zoghbi want to transform that reality. The secretary-general of the International Halal Academy, which offers training on halal products and services, told Arab News that both São Paulo state and the Federal District, where Brazil’s capital city Brasilia is located, are making efforts to become Muslim-friendly tourist destinations.
“We believe that São Paulo has several advantages when it comes to welcoming Muslims tourists, so we began to work along with the state’s tourism secretary in order to develop a program to qualify hotels, restaurants, and transportation companies to receive Muslims,” said Zoghbi, who is also the vice-president of halal certifier Fambras Halal.
São Paulo has a highly diverse population, including a century-old Muslim community, and several mosques. It’s the major gateway for Brazil and the most important destination for businessmen from the Islamic world.
“We developed a Muslim-friendly tourist guide, which includes information concerning the region’s mosques, consulates of Muslim-majority countries, and tourist attractions,” Ana Clemente, the state’s tourism coordinator, told Arab News.
Clemente affirmed that the state’s goal is to improve the quality of the Muslim tourists’ experience in São Paulo by providing useful information and training the hotels’ and restaurants’ workers to adequately welcome them.
“The idea is also to reduce the potential prejudice against Muslims,” she said.
