Aracaju and its positives tourism changes
Aracaju stills delightful with its beautiful beaches, a seashore that makes the eyes shine, a spectacular cleanliness, outstanding safety and many other attributes. Manage a touristic city takes a competent manager, because the equipment needs to be reinvented every season, readjusted to attract new tourists and, mainly, to enchant the ones who already visited, encouraging them to come back.
A touristic city must reinvent itself constantly to attract a continuous flow of visitors, both new and old, due to the wide range of destinations in Brazil. Brazil has a lot of beach cities and touristic attractions, but only a good administration can change a city into the tourist’s favorite choice, with an offer of attractions that really stands out.
Nowadays, Aracaju offers a lot more than beautiful beaches. The city is not behind other Brazilian capitals; in contrary, it has a cultural tourism very rich. New equipment inaugurated and the old ones revitalized, allowing Sergipe’s history to be told and showed to all the tourists who seek for culture.
In an example of recent touristic promotion, the Municipal Tourism Office hosted a group of journalists from São Paulo for a press trip between May 8th and 11th. These journalists were surprised with a technical visiting to the Municipal markets Antônio Franco, Thales Ferraz e Maria Virgínia Leite near city’s downtown rather than the typical beach tour. Near theses munipal markets is the Gente Sergipana museum – Governador Marcelo Déda and the Palace Museum Olímpio Campos. At the Atalaia’s seashore, they found the newly inaugurated Sergipe’s Memorial, that combines history, culture and technology. Also, they visited the Aracaju oceanarium, where they learned through Tamar project about turtles’ preservation.
For everything to work and attract tourists, a public management with expertise and technical vision is needed. Aracaju has the privilege of having a professional who lives up to its brilliance: Jorge Fraga. At the head of Aracaju’s Municipal Tourism Secretariat since 2021, Jorge Fraga took on the challenge even when the secretariat incorporated two other secretariats and the tourism budget was divided.
Jorge Fraga’s Profile and Experience
Jorge Fraga has a brilliant professional career and a vast curriculum that includes important public positions. A lawyer by graduation, he has a distinguished career in public and private positions. He was the Administrative and Financial Director of the Empresa Sergipana de Serviços S/A (EMSETUR), member of the supervisory board at Companhia de Desenvolvimento Industrial e Recursos Minerais de Sergipe, Administrative Advisor at Instituto Euvaldo Lodi (IEL) in Rio de Janeiro, among others relevant experiences. His experience also includes the presidency of the Foundation for Land Affairs of the State of Sergipe (FUNDASE) and the position of General Public Defender in the Public Defender’s Office of the State of Sergipe.
Fraga joined the Parliamentary Secretariat of the Sergipe State Legislative Assembly (ALESE) in 1987 and chaired the Sergipe State Foundation for Land Affairs (FUNDASE). He was State Secretary for Justice and a member of the Board of the State Foundation for the Welfare of Minors (former FEBEM). Between 1991 and 1995, he worked as a deputy in the State Planning Secretariat, and from 1998 to 2000 he was an elected member of the Brazilian Bar Association – Sergipe Section (OAB/SE). In 2000, he became General Public Defender in the Sergipe State Public Defender’s Office and in 2012 he took over as substitute judge of the Sergipe Regional Electoral Court.
Fraga is currently president of the Fiscal Council of the National Association of Municipal Tourism Secretaries and Managers (Anseditur) and a full member of the Chamber for Encouraging Domestic Tourism in Brasilia. Under his leadership, the Municipal Tourism Office adopted a rigorous strategic plan that boosted tourism activities in Aracaju, promoting the city at a national level.
Initiatives and Results
With funds from Aracaju City Hall to the tune of R$1.5 million, Municipal Tourism Office signed an agreement with the Brazilian Hotel Industry Association – Sergipe Section (ABIH/SE) for the Viva Aracaju project, which aims to promote the city’s attractions to operators and travel agents throughout the country.
Under the agreement, the Viva Aracaju caravan visited cities in all regions of the country, such as Brasília (DF), Goiânia (GO), Belo Horizonte (MG), Salvador (BA), Feira de Santana (BA), Niterói (RJ), Rio de Janeiro, Cuiabá (MT), Campo Grande (MS), Recife (PE), Campinas (SP), São José do Rio Preto (SP), São Paulo capital, Santo André (SP), Maringá (PR) and Curitiba (PR), as well as other publicity actions, such as attracting events, taking part in fairs and digital and offline marketing.
Jorge Fraga also brought Municipal Tourism Office closer to federal government entities such as the Ministry of Tourism, Embratur and Sudene. This approach culminated in the 1stNational Tourism Meeting in Aracaju, with the participation of the country’s main tourism authorities, businesspeople, the scientific community and members of the tourist trade.
Participation in Fairs and Events
The Municipal Tourism Office, under the leadership of Jorge Fraga, took part in important fairs and events, such as WTM Latin America, ABAV Expo and the International Tourism Festival in Gramado (FESTURIS). These participations increased Aracaju’s visibility in the market, resulting in the conquest of important slices of the tourist market.
Local Events
Although private initiative is predominant in the events sector, Aracaju City Hall has made a significant contribution holding events with large audiences, such as Natal Iluminado, Réveillon, Projeto Verão and Forró Caju. The Municipal Tourism Office has also supported events such as Expo Verão 2023, Rally dos Mares, the Northeast Kart Championship, the Brazilian Congress of Assisted Reproduction and the Sergipe Antique Car Festival.
Economic Impact
Jorge Fraga’s diligent and strategic work has resulted in a continuous strengthening of Aracaju as a tourist destination. Indicators such as the increase in passenger flow at Aracaju – Santa Maria International Airport, occupancy rates in the hotel chain and movement in bars and restaurants show the success of the initiatives implemented.
Future Perspectives
With continued investment and qualified management in the Tourism Department, Aracaju is poised to grow even more in the coming years, consolidating its position as a leading tourist destination in Brazil.
In short, Jorge Fraga’s leadership at Municipal Tourism Office has been fundamental to Aracaju’s prominence on the national tourism scene, boosting the city’s economic development and visibility.
Thus, Aracaju will continue to shine like a star in the Brazilian sky!
