- Title: BRAZIL: FIRST TRAVEL AGENTS AIMED AT GAY TOURISTS OPENS IN RIO
- Date: 6th July 2005
- Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JULY 4, 2005) (REUTERS) WIDE OF STREET WHERE THE AGENCY IS LOCATED WITH IPANEMA BEACH IN THE BACKGROUND SLV EXTERIOR OF THE RIO G TRAVEL AGENCY CLOSE OF PARTNER IN THE AGENCY WORKING WIDE OF AGENCY RECEPTION ROOM FOR CUSTOMERS CLOSE OF POSTER SIGN SAYING "COME TO RIO AND DISCOVER BRAZIL" VARIOUS OF PARTNER IN THE AGENCY DISPLAYING PACKAGE TRIPS WID
- Embargoed: 21st July 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: People,Lifestyle,Travel / Tourism
- Reuters ID: LVA3RKI5FIACXSFL11XM2CVG20QS
- Story Text: Rio de Janeiro opens its first travel agency aimed at gay tourists.
A new travel agency has opened up in Brazil's tourism capital, Rio de Janeiro, to cater to one of the country's fastest growing sectors, the gay and lesbian community.
Rio G Travel, which opened less than a month ago, is located in Brazil's most famous gay point, the Ipanema neighbourhood. It's close to the famous beach, which also has a special area for gay bathers.
Heading up the agency is Rostando Machado, who has been working in tourism for over 20 years. Together with his business partner Eduardo Lima, he organizes exclusive package tours for gay people traveling both within Brazil and abroad.
"We are doing specific packages because there are many people looking for places and events for gays outside of Brazil and no agency has this specific service. We are starting fishing, creating specific packages. There's going to be packages for Holland, for South Africa, for Machu Picchu. There are people who don't know but there are gay groups going to Machu Picchu," explained Machado.
Machado and Lima chose Ipanema for their agency, as a gay-friendly neighbourhood. They believed that the gay market was one which had yet to be catered to when it came to travel.
"What a gay person wants is exactly what any other person wants. The only thing is that he goes with his boyfriend, or in the case of a woman, she goes with her girlfriend, and they're going to ask for a double bed, and that is what we are going to provide, because I think there is a barrier against people asking for that. Here that person feels at home," said Machado.
According to Claudio Nascimento, president of the Rainbow Group, social advances in relation to acceptance of gays and lesbians, have allowed for new business networks to be constructed.
"On account of the increase in homosexual visibility, of more and more gays and lesbians joining the fight, assuming their sexuality, more and more support from society, we are constructing an atmosphere to get to a legal basis. All this creates a favourable social climate to construct these business networks," he said.
Rio G Travel's first challenge was as the official agency to bring tourists to Rio for the Gay Pride Parade in June.
With that event now under their belt, the partners are looking for more markets for their gay and lesbian clientele, who they see as one of the most neglected and potentially lucrative markets within the travel industry.
"The gay public is a high level consumer, choosing the best hotels, the best destinations and the most expensive destinations, and they were being left aside purely because of the preconceptions of the (travel agency) owners and travel agents that exist in Brazil," said Lima.
The agency is now looking ahead to events like Amsterdam Pride in August and also the World Out Games in Montreal next year.
According to the Brazilian Tourism Association for Gays, Lesbians and Sympathisers (ABRAT GLS), there are still no official statistics regarding the movement of gay tourists within the country, although the entire sector continues to grow.
The ABRAT GLS is to launch a stamp to identify gay-friendly companies by the end of the year. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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