The government of São Paulo, through the Ministry of Tourism and Travel (Setur-SP), joined forces with the Archdiocesan Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer, in Rio de Janeiro (one of the New 7 Wonders of the World), to provide greater impetus to religious tourism in Brazil.
Hand in hand with one of the most recurrent postcards of Brazil: Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro – one of the New 7 Wonders of the World – religious tourism seeks to strengthen itself in the country.
In this framework, a protocol of intentions was signed – through the Secretary of Tourism and Travel of the State of São Paulo (Setur-SP) – to integrate the iconic Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer into the program of religious routes in São Paulo.
The secretary of Setur SP – Roberto de Lucena and the rector of the Sanctuary – Father Omar Raposo, signed a Protocol of Intention to develop activities within the program to promote multi-religious tourism.
“Through mutual collaboration, Father Omar and I will act together to promote institutional actions that consider Christ the Redeemer, the most emblematic image of Brazil (and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World), as a tourist attraction with an impact on the tourist routes of São Paulo, such as Rota da Luz, Rota Jesuítica Padre Anchieta, Rota Franciscana Frei Galvão and we are also talking with the Rota Caminho da Fe,” explained secretary Roberto de Lucena.
“Today is a very happy day, we are a pastor and a priest walking together, with the purpose of taking religious paths to an even higher level,” he added.
According to the directors, the idea is to develop a calendar of actions that includes projects and activities, integrating the main religious routes of the state of São Paulo with pilgrimages to the Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer, in Corcovado.
“In this program that we are designing together with Setur-SP, our Christ the Redeemer descends from the Corcovado hill and enters faith mode to contemplate the beauties of the pilgrimage routes of São Paulo. We come together to promote the idea of multi-religious tourism, a meeting of the tourism sector, based on tolerance and the principles of faith and fraternity,” said Father Omar.
Religious tourism
In addition to Rio de Janeiro and its imposing Christ the Redeemer, São Paulo is considered one of the states with the greatest tourist potential in Brazil. In this context, the Rota da Luz has established itself as one of the most emblematic religious routes in the country. The route offers pilgrims an authentic experience of faith and local customs, as it runs through nine municipalities of the Paraíba Valley, stimulating production, gastronomy and accommodation in the region.
Religious tourism is one of the fastest growing segments in Brazil. According to research carried out by the Fundación Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas (Fipe), around 8.1 million religious trips are made each year in Brazil.
If trips to religious events, spiritual retreats, caravans and pilgrimages are taken into account, this figure rises to 15 million trips, which represents R$ 6 billion (just over a billion dollars) per year in this segment alone. , according to the brazilian ministry of tourism.