Condoleezza Rice Wowed by Beauty of Brazil

Rice experiences Brazil's unique culture during South American trip

SALVADOR, Brazil, March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- While on an official visit to
Brazil, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made one of her lifelong dreams
come true: visiting the capital of Bahia, Salvador, one of the global centers
for African culture outside of the African content.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080314/AQF065)
"Coming to Bahia was a personal desire. I had been hearing about [it] for
years; Salvador is a great city and all this is due to the Afro-Brazilian
community here. Of course, I am of Afro-descent and I have always believed
that Brazil and the USA, in certain aspects, are more alike than any other two
countries in the world," stated Rice, in an interview with Globo TV. "Here we
find the traditions of the European, Latin and African, everybody living side
by side. So I wanted to come to Bahia and I can tell I was not wrong. It is
beautiful here. I only regret having taken so long to come."
Rice's trip began with a ceremonial dinner with key leaders and Brazilian
officials, including the Governor of Bahia, Jacques Wagner, and the Brazilian
Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Marta Suplicy. Highlights included performances from
two famous Brazilian musicians, Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil and
singer/composer Carlinhos Brown.
Rice's cultural tour also involved a visit to the famous Nossa Senhora do
Rosario dos Pretos church which was built in 1704 and serves as an important
symbol for the Afro-Brazilian community. She also visited the Afro Museum of
Bahia in Terreiro de Jesus where she watched a performance by Olodum, one of
the most famous Afro-Brazilian music and dance groups.
Upon the conclusion of her trip, Rice promised to promote Bahia and Brazil
in the United States. Brazilian Minister of Tourism, Marta Suplicy,
highlighted Brazil's comprehensive communications strategy that promotes its
cultural diversity in the American market.
"Bahia is an important tourism destination for ethno-tourists and the
African community, as it combines the historical and cultural sides to an
impressive range of attractions, such as beaches, gastronomy, artistry and
sports," explained Minister Suplicy.
Interest in ethno-tourism, the exploration of ethnic origins, continues to
grow. With cultural diversity that includes Africans, indigenous Indians and
Portuguese, Brazil is one of the top, global ethno-tourist destinations.
Brazil's Ministry of Tourism will invest $16 million USD to promote the
country and its culture to Americans in 2008.
About EMBRATUR
The mission of the Brazilian Tourist Board, Embratur, is to promote Brazil
in the international market as a destination for travelers. Brazilian
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has put a new tourism plan in place, the
Aquarela Plan, which calls for generating consumer awareness about Brazil and
attracting more tourists. The established target for the U.S. sector is
increasing the annual numbers for tourists entering the country to 9 million,
and attracting a total amount of $8 billion in revenue. There are eight
Embratur offices globally including Lisbon (Portugal), Paris (France), London
(U.K.), Frankfurt (Germany), Madrid (Spain) and Milan (Italy). There is also
a Bureau for Tourism for Latin America, based at the Embratur office, in the
city of Brasilia. For more information visit
http://www.braziltour.com/site/en/home/index.php
SOURCE Brazilian Ministry of Tourism

Press Office - EMBRATUR, Brazilian Tourist Board - Brazil, 55 61 429-7836 |
7725, press@embratur.gov.br; or Eileen Earley of Ogilvy Public Relations
Worldwide, +1-312-397-6063, Mobile, +1-708-305-4479,
eileen.earley@ogilvypr.com, for Brazilian Ministry of Tourism