With just a few months to go before the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30), scheduled from November 10 to 21 in Belém, Pará State, Brazil is redoubling its efforts to ensure the success of global negotiations while promoting the Amazon as a destination for sustainable tourism.
A high-level delegation composed of 24 United Nations experts is currently in Belém to assist with preparations.
The Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Noura Hamladji, praised the commitment of local, regional, and federal authorities, as well as the level of investment, estimated at nearly $830 million.
“These are essential ingredients to ensure the success of the conference,” she stated after reviewing the figures presented by Valter Correia, the extraordinary secretary for COP30.
The Brazilian government expects to welcome nearly 100,000 visitors during the two weeks of COP30. This figure is almost double that of COP29 held in Baku, Azerbaijan, which gathered 54,148 participants.
This expected influx places Belém, the gateway to the Amazon, under the gaze of the entire world, providing an opportunity to promote the preservation of the tropical forest, the true lungs of the planet.
According to Embratur, the Brazilian tourism promotion agency, the city has already seen an increase of over 59% in air arrivals between January and November 2024 compared to the previous year.
This dynamism is explained not only by the announcement of Belém as the host city for COP but also by investments in infrastructure, particularly improvements to the hotel network and the renovation of tourist sites in the metropolitan area.
Beyond climate discussions, COP30 aims to leave a sustainable legacy for the Amazon. Training programs for tourism professionals focused on sustainability and the construction of new reception infrastructures reinforce this objective.