RIO DE JANEIRO, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Tourism Ministry announced on Monday that they signed an agreement with the Brazilian LGBT Trade and Commerce Chamber to promote the country as a gay-friendly tourism destination.
Through the agreement, the government hopes to increase awareness of Brazil as a gay-friendly destination and also improve treatment of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT).
Tourism Minister Vinicius Lummertz said that Brazil is still a very conservative nation, but tourism helps bridge gaps and improve communication.
Despite having many natural resources and dozens of tourist destinations with potential to attract millions of people, Brazil still struggles to become a power in the tourism industry.
Last year, according to the Tourism Ministry, the country received a record high of 6.5 million foreign tourists, but much less than world renowned cities like Paris, which received 12 million foreign tourists last year, and Barcelona, another major tourist destination in Europe, which received 8.3 million foreign visitors in 2017.
