Meeting "This is Paraná", in Madrid - Spain

The MAIS C EVENTS in partnership with O Viaje Paraná, a promotional agency linked to the State Tourism Secretariat (Setu-PR), continues its mission to impact the foreign tourism market. A delegation from the State held, on Monday night (19), a training session involving more than 50 Spanish travel agents during the Meeting ¡Esto Es Paraná!, in Madrid, the capital of Spain.

Focusing on promoting news and seeking to expand the State's presence in the travel plans and consumer desires of European tourists, the promotional agency showed the professionals the potential, destinations, services, and unique attractions of Paraná. One detail is that almost 15% of the participants were from outside Madrid, coming from various parts of Spain.

The Meeting is an exclusive and itinerant event, which will also pass through Lisbon and Porto (both in Portugal) throughout the month of February. The actions are part of the protocol of intentions signed with the airline TAP, which also foresees the promotion of the new direct flight from Lisbon to Curitiba.

The route was announced by Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Júnior, representatives of the company, and the board of Viaje Paraná in November last year. Already in operation, the flights will begin in July this year and will add to seven other routes that directly connect other countries to Paraná - three of them conquered in 2024.

"The new direct flight will bring more tourists from outside the country to our Territories. It is essential that Viaje Paraná builds this bridge with the market, showing not only the news and the good connectivity of the State but all the qualified attractions and services we have, prepared to meet the demands of agents and enchant the foreign public with comfort and quality," said Leonaldo Paranhos, State Secretary of Tourism.

Irapuan Cortes, CEO of Viaje Paraná, emphasizes that impacting the market of the second continent that sends the most international tourists to the State (Europe) and the European country that sent the most tourists to Paraná in the last eight years (Spain) is strategic.

"This is the first of a series of actions we will develop this year, focusing on foreign audiences and the travel trade, seeking all the positive return they can bring to the State in terms of tourism movement and economy. Today, the State is a reference in Brazil and abroad, attracting the attention of major operators and becoming a desire of consumption for many tourists," said Cortes.

ATTRACTIONS MENU - During the event, Viaje Paraná shows the agents a true menu of state tourism, with qualified options that capture the public's attention. Highlights include destinations such as Curitiba, its winter season, and the largest free Christmas event in Brazil; the wineries of the Metropolitan Region; the Coast, with the train ride through the Serra do Mar, the Barreado dish, and the Summer Major shows; the Campos Gerais, with nature parks and ethnic colonies; the waterfalls of Prudentópolis, among others.

Also, of course, Foz do Iguaçu, in the West, where the Iguaçu Falls are located - one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World - and other qualified attractions, such as the Macuco Safari, the trails in the Iguaçu National Park - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - the Bird Park, the new Aquafoz aquarium, and much more.

Alongside Viaje Paraná, authorities from the sector also participated, such as the Secretary of Tourism of Foz do Iguaçu, Jin Petrycoski; the president of Curitiba Convention, Gislaine Queiroz; in addition to the State Secretary of Culture, Luciana Casagrande.

The secretary presented to the public more information about the State's Cultural Tourism and a new attraction to be inaugurated in Paraná. Foz do Iguaçu will be the first city on the continent to receive a satellite of the renowned French museum Centre Pompidou. The forecast is that the construction of the attraction will begin in the first semester of this year and attract even more tourist flow to the State and the municipality.

"Participating in the event in Madrid is a strategic opportunity to show that Paraná goes far beyond its already established natural attractions. Cultural Tourism is a great force of our State, and we already have international references, such as the Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Curitiba, the largest art museum in Latin America," said Luciana.

"We will present this cultural vocation to new audiences and, above all, project the future: promote the Centre Pompidou Paraná which will be installed in Foz do Iguaçu, the first satellite of the French museum on the entire continent. It is a decisive step to position Paraná in the international circuit of culture, art, and tourism," added the Culture Secretary.

INTERNATIONAL MISSION - In addition to the Meeting, the Viaje Paraná delegation continues in Spain to participate in one of the largest global events in the sector. The International Tourism Fair in Madrid (Fitur) takes place from January 21 to 25, and there, the State will have its own stand, with promotional materials translated into Spanish, activities, and the presence of selected Paraná co-exhibitors through expressions of interest.

Participation also represents the continuity of a series of international actions. It was at the last edition of Fitur, at the beginning of 2025, that Viaje Paraná began negotiations with the Grupo Viajes El Corte Inglés which, later that year, resulted in the creation of a tourist package to the State, as well as destination promotions on Gran Via in Madrid, at the Barajas and El Prat airports, and in a series of Spanish stores.

Through the partnership with the group, Paraná also received travel agents from Spain on Famtours and provided in-person training for professionals. These and other strategic actions led Spain to jump from the 10th to the 3rd largest global emitter of foreign travelers to the State between the months of July and November 2025.