Exciting News from Brazil

More Than Rio

 

When I was a child in Kenya, my late father, got me hooked on the 80’s TV show, The A-Team. There were a few well-known catchphrases, however, the one I loved the most was Lt. Peck’s “music to my ears”. Although quite common, it came to mind when we received the following update from our team in Brazil.

 

The Brazilian congress is analyzing the suspension of the decree signed by President Lula reinstating the visa requirement for holders of American, Australian, and Canadian passports to enter Brazil. Last Thursday, the federal government reached an agreement with congressmen and postponed the start of visa requirements until April 2025. For now, passport holders from the U.S., Canada, and Australia can continue traveling to Brazil for tourism, without any visa.

 

Brazil is one of those countries we love at times and scratch our heads at others. Through it all though, our team has a deep affinity to Brazil. For me personally and my colleagues will love this diatribe, it is about auto racing. You heard that right. It’s not about Neymar or the World Cup team, it is about Ayrton Senna, a driver I idolized growing up. May 1 is Senna Day, which coincides with Labour Day in Brazil. When Ayrton Senna tragically passed away in Italy in 1994, Brazil’s action to declare national holidays in his honor was unheard of. It said a lot about the people of Brazil, and even today, I find myself amazed at the ability of the Brazilian people to share Senna’s day with their national holiday.

 

I’ve been hooked on Brazil since 1994 and always felt for the people when there was either an upheaval or an action that negatively impacted the country which makes what I read about the visa postponement such delightful news. Anyone who tried to obtain a Brazil visa over the last few months when the government tried to implement the new scheme, knows it was not a ready system. It wouldn’t be fair to the amazing tourism industry in Brazil to pay the price for a poorly executed visa system. Postponing the visa requirement to April 2025 is such welcomed news that we had to share our excitement and cool new video with you.

Bem-vindo!