The Olympics games are all set to come to life as the count down to 2012 London games has begun. However, the 2010 London Games is the not the only focus for the participating countries. Hosts' for the 2012, 2016 and the bidders for the 2020 games have decided to increase their efforts in one direction in order to clinch the rights to host the greatest spectacle of sports in their countries.
The Brazilian, Australian, and British tourism authorities met in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday to discuss the Olympic Games and sign a cooperation agreement between the host cities.
Brazil's Tourism Minister, Luiz Barretto Filho, and directors of the countries' national tourism agencies attended a seminar at a local hotel in Copacabana beach in Brazil.
The delegates of the three countries shared their experiences and discussed the means of increasing tourist activities during the largest sports event in the world. The Olympic Games attract hundreds and thousands of fans and athletes from around the world.
Before the games, an Olympic village is set up for the athletes, which generally becomes the epicenter of the world attention for the passage of the games.
Similarly, some 380,000 tourists from the around the world are expected to flock to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Games to be held in Brazil. Brazil's beaches are already a major sporting and tourism destination for people from around the world. Experts predict that the 2016 Games are going to be one of the most popular ever to take place in the South American continent.
Barretto said that Rio could learn a lot from the other cities such as Sydney, which hosted the games in 2000. He said that learning from their experiences was essential in making the 2016 Olympic Games a rousing success.
"We will only organize a great Olympics if we give continuity to policies -- not to people, but to public policies which are linked to the state and not to specific governments. I'm certain that we are walking in that direction and we have a lot to learn, not only in terms of infrastructure, in professional qualification, but also in terms of coordinating governance, which is crucial for the success of an Olympic Games campaign," he said.
Dawe said that the agreement opens a path for cooperation in other areas besides tourism, and that both London, which will host 2012 Olympics, could benefit from the event.
"We feel that this sets the stage for much greater engagement between our two countries and how we can work together - yes, on the tourism dimension, but on many more dimensions as well. We both share the challenge and the privilege of hosting this huge event, so we can think about not only what it can do for us but what we can do for the Olympic movement," she said.
Chairperson of Tourism Australia, Rick Allert, and CEO of VisitBrain, Sandie Dawe, shared their experiences with the audience before signing the deal.
The deal aims to boost a partnership between the major stakeholders and to attract investment opportunities between the countries.
Meanwhile Rio de Janeiro won the rights of hosting the Olympics last year in October. The International Olympic Committee awarded the city with the first games to that will take place in South America, despite stiff competition coming in from Tokyo, Madrid and Chicago.
The President of United States Barrack Obama, who belongs to the city, had actively participated in the bid for Chicago to host the Olympic Games in 2016.
However, there are still massive concerns about the security and infrastructure in South America. Besides this, a shortage of rooms and the use of cruise ships docked in the port city of Rio for accommodation have also raised concerns.
Nevertheless, the Olympic Games will provide the city with tremendous exposure. The people of the country are ready to host this event and prove to the world that they can deliver the goods just like any other Olympic venue in the past.
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