The performance of the private initiative of the brazilian tourism, in the framework of Mercosur, on the perspectives of diplomacy and international technical cooperation

Abstract

Abstract

Objective of the study: The objective of the article is to analyze the understanding of the Brazilian tourism private sector actors on the insertion and promotion of Brazil, in the international tourism market, especially in Mercosur, considering the 2016 and 2021 economic scenarios, based on the perspectives of diplomacy and the international technical cooperation.
Methodology/approach: The research procedures covered data collection from secondary sources and unstructured interviews with managers of private entities representing Brazilian tourism (ABEAR, ABRACORP, FOHB and CNTUR). The interviews were conducted in two periods, in the year 2016 and in the year 2021.
Originality/Relevance: Despite its socioeconomic and cultural expressiveness, in the field of international relations and Mercosur, the actions and views of private or corporate actors in Brazilian tourism are not yet sufficiently recognized in the field of academic research.
Main results: The importance of the performance of Brazilian tourism business entities is confirmed, but there are limitations in their performance, both in terms of cooperative agreements and public-private partnerships, even in relations with Argentina, the largest emitter of foreign tourists to the country, before the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, facing the scenario of the pandemic crisis, the concern of the actors was observed in relation to the adverse situation, which greatly impacts tourist activities, especially international ones, but also in relation to the lack of central coordination on the part of the Brazilian government, which points to an even more difficult scenario to recover the flow of tourists and investors.
Theoretical/methodological contributions: Based on the conceptual reviews of corporate diplomacy, paradiplomacy and international technical cooperation, the article provides reflections on the factors that justify the greater insertion and recognition of the performance and visions of the private managers of Brazilian tourism, at the international level, especially in Mercosur. In addition to contributing to the contextualization of tourism in international relations, the article provides subsidies for the sector's public policies and regional development.