LONDON — It was announced at World Travel Market (WTM) that Brazil has granted 90-day visa exemptions for Canadian travellers in a bid to boost tourism for the Olympic Games taking place in Rio de Janerio in summer 2016. The visa changes were also announced for China, Australia and the United States, and are now awaiting sign–off from the four countries.

Update: Brazil announces June 1 as official start date of visa waiver period

The measures are designed to increase tourism figures in the months surrounding the Olympics; travellers from these four countries who wish to visit Brazil for 90 days or less will be exempt from needing a visa.

Now the process can be quite cumbersome, with Canadians needing to apply for tourist visas in advance and provide several pieces of supporting documentation.

“The fall of the visa barrier is very encouraging to us and tourism should get a big boost with the increase of tourist flows over the period of the Games. This early opening will be very important, but we need ongoing measures to attract foreign visitors from abroad before, during and after the Games, ” says the President of Embratur (Brazilian Tourism Institute) Vinicius Lummertz, who was accompanied by the Minister of Tourism, Henrique Eduardo Alves, and the ambassador of Brazil in London, Eduardo Santos at WTM in London.

Last year’s World Cup in Brazil saw one million visitors, although some senior figures were disappointed with these numbers. Ticket sales for the Olympic Games to be held in August of 2016 have thus far been weaker than expected.