Internationalization Patterns of Multinational Lodging Firms in Brazil - Case Study Example

Name: Institution: Tutor: Date: Introduction Despite the presence of various attractions in the country, Brazil never took tourism seriously with a perfect example being the way the currently famous Favela was initially ignored as a social problem (Frisch 2012, pg 320). It is only recently that the tourism sector began receiving attention from various stakeholders. In slightly over a decade, the country has successfully turned around this sector. It now receives visitors in excess of 6 million annually. The country must not grow complacent with the marginal success. It should aim to be among the leading global destinations. This paper looks at the tourism sector in Brazil in its expansion journey, with special attention to what it has to offer to the tourists. The political map of Brazil http://www.beautifulholidays.com.au/travel-guide/america/brazil/maps/brazil.gif Major attractive natural environment features The two leading natural attractions in Brazil include Iguaçu Falls and Amazon rainforest (Da Cunha 2005 pg 50). Stretching almost two miles, Iguaçu Falls is a waterfall on Iguaçu River. Its view is breathtaking and has earned it a spot among UNESCO heritage sites. Coincidentally, the waterfall also marks the border between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. From the city of Foz do Iguaçu, tourists can take a taxi or bus to Iguaçu National Park where the waterfall is situated. Inside the park, there are footpaths which allow views from different angles. Tourists also have option to catch boat rides which serve a similar purpose to the footpaths. The Amazon rainforest is a massive jungle and is home to diversified animal and plant species. The forest covers over 2 million square miles and ranks as the world’s largest. Apart from a variety of species, the Amazon also provides jungle adventure and fishing escapades. The forest is also home to native Amerindians and tourists get to experience their culture and way of life. Tourists can access the forest from cruise ships along the Solimoes River. They can also use the services of tour guides who show them around on foot and on short boat trips. The kind of society that tourists would find in Brazil Brazil ranks among the most diverse countries in the world. The population comprises of groups from Portuguese, Amerindian, African, and European ancestries. However, due to intermarriages about half the population is now of mixed ancestry. Almost all Brazilians are monolingual and speak Portuguese only (Mitchell 2011 pg 670). However, a very small section comprising of the surviving Amerindians speak their native languages. Christianity is the most dominant religion of which Catholicism enjoys massive followings. A tourist can experience all these by simply traveling to major cities where most Brazilians live. There is also the issue of racial tensions. This comes about as a result of the whites dominating the economic resources whereas those of African and mixed ancestries working blue collar jobs in plantations, ranches, and industries. The major heritage resources of Brazil Two major heritage resources of Brazil are cultural and natural heritages. Cultural heritage constitutes of buildings, sites, and monuments among other man-made attractions that preserve the history and culture of a group of people (Ros-Tonen & Werneck 2009 pg 60). This can assist tourists understand how various races ended up in Brazil and their long struggles in trying to cope with the differences brought about by this diversity. Natural heritage includes forests among other physical features that are unique to a destination. These assist tourists in understanding how human activities impacted negatively on the natural environment. It is only by the fact that the Amazon was impenetrable that it is still surviving today. How Brazil became a tourist attraction Brazil transformed into an attractive tourist destination following increased understanding of its versatility. In past, most would have thought tourism as an exclusive activity for financially well off individuals involving holidays in exotic and expensive destination. But it is only after it dawned on the market that tourism has several approaches that the sector started to pick in the country. As a result, Brazil is now a famous destination for holidays, leisure travel, business trips, eco-tourism, and education among many more others (Valle, Correia, and Rebelo 2008 pg 210; Frisch, 2012). Furthermore, the locals in Brazil shifted from past mentality that it is a foreigner’s affair, a fact which Frisch (2012 pg 320) describes as having led most Brazilians to ignore tourism activities apart from leaving it for foreigners to manage. There is now an increasing level of domestic tourism which has gone a long way to sustain sector during low season. Particular factors that influence tourists to visit Brazil a. motivation – this is what entices the tourists to make travel decisions to a destination. Tourists will want to experience the unique attributes that a particular destination has to offer. Most probably they will have become enthusiastic to travel to Brazil from marketing or information about the countries destinations (Sobral and Souza 2007 pg 510). b. ‘push’ factors – push factors include political unrest, poverty, and high levels of crime and unemployment all which act together to bring the tourists to Brazil. The tourists may perceive these factors to be much lenient in Brazil than in their countries therefore opt to travel. c. ‘pull’ factors- pull factors are the natural and physical attractions in a tourism destination. Tourists will make up their minds to travel to a destination so that they can enjoy these attractions (Santana 2000 pg 427). An example is highlighted by Frisch (2012 pg 320) while describing Favela tourism in Rio de Janeiro as a mass tourism destination. Examples of tourism merchandise While visiting Brazil, tourists can purchase various merchandise to act as souvenirs. First, there are several art collections like those of the statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro or miniature flags of Brazil (de Castro & Begossi 2006 pg 13). There is also the canga, a towel like garment for spreading down on the beach. This can be spread over furniture back home. For the lovers of music, they can collect compilation albums of the best samba songs of all time. Impacts of tourism on the lives of the host society in Brazil Tourism has had various impacts on Brazil. First, it is the lifeline of thousands of employees who work in the sector. Tourism has also spurred growth in other support industries such as transport and hospitality industries. To the country at large, tourism has led to economic diversification in order to stop relying too much on agriculture, service, and industrial sectors (Vinicius 2010 pg 148). Finally, it has opened up the country to the rest of the world. Tourism has allowed interactions and learning between locals and people from various foreign backgrounds across the world. Accommodation available for tourists in Brazil The major type of accommodation in Brazil is hotel. This can be overnight stays or for a set duration. The tourists get to enjoy room service and food of their choice from the menu. The hotels come in various ratings from five to four and three stars depending on the tourists’ financial abilities (Doris and Sagi 2010 pg 453). There are also tourist resorts in Brazil. These ones are not suitable for those visiting the country for a short period. They are meant for extended stays. In the resort, food and accommodation will be provided according to the tourists’ preference. However, hotels and resorts are not the best for those intending to travel to remote destinations like the Amazon. They will have to make do with camps at the edges of the forest. The camping provides adventure to the tourists but only in designated places where safety is guaranteed. In other occasions, the tourists can have overnight stays at their tour guide’s homes. The guides will offer them food and shelter in the entire duration of their stay. Transport tourists would use to visit Brazil The most common type of transport for tourists visiting Brazil from abroad is air transport. This is mainly for accessing the country from their countries of origin. Air transport is also common for interconnecting between destinations that are geographically apart in this vast country (Massukado and Teixeira 2009 pg 67). Another option to access the country is by water. Tourists often come in large entourages in cruise ships from various countries around the world. Water transport is also used for touring destinations bordering or containing water bodies. These include Iguaçu Falls, Copacabana beach, and Amazon rainforest among others. Road is the third type of transport available for tourists. It is used for accessing the country by those visiting from Brazil’s South American neighbors such as Argentina, Paraguay, and Colombia (Boyen and Ogasavara 2013 pg 189). However, road is a major form of transport for movements around the country. Rail is the other type of transport. Like road, it is mainly relied upon for connecting between destinations in Brazil. This is more reliable and convenient than road for traveling long distances within the country. Finally, there are aerial cars which hang and roll on lines placed above the grounds. This is the major types of transportation for tourists desiring to experience and aerial view of Rio de Janeiro. Gastronomic experiences available for tourists who visit Brazil While in Brazil, tourists can experience various cuisines. One notable characteristic of Brazilian dishes is that they display the cultural diversity in the country (de Araujo & Bramwell 2003 pg 1138). Some various cultural dishes include moqueca, acarajé, vatapá, and polenta dishes. The country’s national meal is Feijoada. This is a typical Portuguese dish that includes rice, beans, vegetables, pork, and beef all cooked together into a stew. The official beverage is coffee though it is not that popular in other regions. Tourists also get to enjoy a taste of authentic liquor Cachaça which is a product of sugar cane juice. This liquor also forms the main component of Caipirinha, a Brazilian cocktail. There is also a variety of fruits such as mango, papaya, cocoa, pineapple, and orange among many more others. The purpose of promotion of a destination and the manner in which Brazil is promoted Tourism promotion forms the basis of increasing tourist numbers in a destination. It informs the entire tourist fraternity of the various attractions present in destination. This increased knowledge on the side of tourists is critical during decision making process. But providing information alone is not the aim of a promotion. It must aim at triggering desires in the tourists to visit the destination. That is why tourism promotions must be convincing enough to influence tourists’ travel decisions (Kim, Borges, & Chon 2012 pg 960). Promotion is also critical in that it allows past tourists to recommend the destination to others. After coming into contact with the promotional elements, a potential tourist will consult widely before making decisions. Brazil is serious about tourism promotion. In fact, it has the Brazil Tourism Board in place just to coordinate such activities. The board has mounted aggressive tourism promotion campaigns. The first one and also the most popular has been the hosting of international sporting events. The country recently hosted the 2014 football World Cup which is the largest sporting event across the world. Apart from the participating countries, the event drew spectators from all around the world. The country was a beehive of activities in the entire duration of the tournament. It recorded massive increase in tourist numbers with hotel occupancy levels at an all time high. Before the World Cup, it had also hosted the Confederations Cup. In the near future, Brazil is also set to host the 2016 Olympic Games. While attending these games, the participants can tour other attractions within the country. The promotion of Brazil as a tourist destination has also embraced the digital platform. The board has contracted several popular websites to carry adverts containing the attractions in Brazil (Guilherme 2009 pg 424). There are also various videos circulating on the internet with various attractions in Brazil. All these are complementary to the hosting of international sporting events in driving up the customer numbers. Choice postcards for the destination The first postcard (view the postcards in the appendix) contains an image of Copacabana beach. It is a typical day with people relaxing by the beach. This postcard shows how typical Brazilians spend their free time. In the foreground are various people from diverse ethnicities. A closer look reveals groups of white and black individuals all spending time at the beach. Apart from promoting the Copacabana beach, the postcard also shows the racial diversity present in the Brazilian society. The second postcard carries the image of Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro. The statue has become synonymous with Brazil all across the world. The country did a splendid job in creating an international landmark for not only the city but also the country at large. In background, there are Brazilian beaches, islands, and forests surrounding the city. This shows the beauty of the natural environment in Brazil and how the city has succeeded in blending natural and manmade features. The third postcard contains an image of Iguaçu Falls. It is a sight to behold with mist rising in the air from the river just behind a thicket. The postcard reveals the natural beauty of Brazil. It shows the missing natural elements in the urban centers where the environment has suffered impacts from human activities. Components of an original brochure that can be designed to promote and interpret Brazil A brochure to promote Brazil must capture all tourism activities and attractions in the country. First, it must contain natural attractions like Copacabana beach, Amazon rainforest, and Iguaçu Falls among many others. The second category will feature manmade attractions like Christ the Redeemer statue, the new Brazilian stadiums, infrastructure, and magnificent architectural designs from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. There must be information on business and leisure travel, eco-tourism, sports tourism to capture the various types of tourism activities available for tourists visiting the country. The brochure will be incomplete without information to assist tourists in the course of their stay. Various help numbers need to be made available. A list of hotels, prices, maps, and transport network will also be helpful. Conclusion Brazil is the world’s true meeting point with various races and cultural backgrounds present in its society. The country is also endowed with several natural and manmade attractions. However, it is sad that it never took tourism seriously in the past. But now that it has realized the possible benefits in this sector it has done a marvelous job in supporting it. Tourism now contributes to its economy but a lot needs to be done. The country needs to keep its attractions in top condition. The Amazon is still underutilized and should be explored and demarcated for easier access. This could provide the new growth frontier for this emerging tourism destination. However, the country needs to keep up the aggressive promotions as this is the only way to create demand for its tourist attractions. Works Cited Boyen, M.H. & Ogasavara, M. Internationalization patterns of multinational lodging firms in Brazil. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 13(4), pp. 181-200. 2013 Da Cunha, S.K. & Da Cunha, J.C.Tourism Cluster Competitiveness and Sustainability: Proposal for a Systemic Model to Measure the Impact of Tourism on Local Development. Brazilian Administration Review, 2(2), pp. 47-62. 2005 de Araujo, LM, & Bramwell. B. 'Partnership and regional tourism in Brazil', Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 29, no. 4, p. 1138. 2003 de Castro, F, & Begossi. A. Fishing at Rio Grande (Brazil): Ecological niche and competition, 24, Plenum Publishing Corporation. 2006 Doris Van De, M.R. & Sagi, L.C. Sustainability control and management of Porto Belo Island, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 2(4), pp. 441- 454. 2010 Frisch, T. "Glimpses of Another World: the Favela As a Tourist Attraction." Tourism Geographies. 14. (2): 320-338. 2012. Print. Guilherme, S. 'An overview of contemporary tourism development in Brazil', International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 12, no. 7, pp 424. 2009 Kim, H, Borges, MC, & Chon, j. 'Impacts of environmental values on tourism motivation: The case of FICA, Brazil', Tourism Management, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 957-967. 2012.Available from: 10.1016/j.tourman.2005.09.007. [30 May 2015].  Massukado-Nakatani, M. &Teixeira, R.M. Resource-based View as a Perspective for Public Tourism Management Research: Evidence from Two Brazilian Tourism Destinations. Brazilian Administration Review, 6(1), pp. 62-77. 2009 Mitchell, G. 'TurboConsumers™ in paradise: Tourism, civil rights, and Brazil's gay sex industry', American Ethnologist, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 666-682. 2011. Available from: 10.1111/j.1548-1425.2011.01329.x. [30 May 2015]. Ros-Tonen, MF, & Werneck, AF.'Small-scale Tourism Development in Brazilian Amazonia: The Creation of a 'Tourist Bubble'', European Review of Latin American & Caribbean Studies (Centre for Latin American Research & Documentation (CEDLA)), no. 86, pp. 59-79. 2009 Santana, G. An overview of contemporary tourism development in Brazil. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12(7), pp. 424-430. 2000 Sobral, F., Peci, A. & Souza, G. An analysis of the dynamics of the tourism industry in Brazil: challenges and recommendations. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 19(6), pp. 507-512. 2007 Torres, I. Branding slums: a community-driven strategy for urban inclusion in Rio de Janeiro. Journal of Place Management and Development, 5(3), pp. 198-211. 2012 Valle, O.D., Correia, A. & Rebelo, E. Determinants of tourism return behaviour. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 8(3), pp. 205-219. 2008 Vinicius Lino Rodrigues, D.J. Developing sustainable tourism in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil - premises, actions, challenges. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 2(2), pp. 144-152. 2010 Appendix Postcard 1 http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1162454/thumbs/o-JJ-ABRAMS-BOOK-570.jpg?1 Postcard 2 http://engler3d.webs.com/photos/3D-Work/Engler_Postcard.jpg Postcard 3 http://tomboy2.jeniusinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/BrazilWorldCupFozdoIguacuPostcardTOmboyTarts.jpg Read More