The farm markets will continue to actively eye the corn and soybean production progress in Brazil and Argentina.
Because South America’s growing season varies widely, everything from crop progress, weather updates, harvest progress and yield reports, and transportation issues are all in play during the month of February.
This week, the Brazil soybean crop was being called amazing by some, while Argentina’s soybean losses from flooding were still being assessed.
Both the crops still in the ground and the yields from the harvest activity in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil’s largest soybean-producing region, were coming up roses.
As of Sunday, Brazil farmers had harvested 2.2% of the crop, ahead of the 1.5% pace from a year ago, and ahead of the 1.2% five-year average, according to AgRural consultancy.
Individual states such as Mato Grosso had 11.5% of this year’s soybean crop harvested, up almost 8% from its pace last year. Mato Grosso do Sul farmers were 1% complete; Goiás and Minas Gerais both less than 1.0%.
So far, the farmers in Mato Grosso have reported soybean harvest yields between 53.33 and 57.99 bushels per acre. In the southern state of Parana, farmers report yields ranging from 56.2 and 61.56 bushels per acre.
For the rest of the month of January, wet weather is expected to delay harvest activity for the states of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais, according to Climatempo, a Brazilian weather company.
Meanwhile, favorable soybean harvest weather is expected in Brazil's southern states of Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul.
Though rain events could slow harvest in parts of the country, Brazil’s soybean output for 2017 is expected to be record-large.
The latest soybean production estimates released by Brazil’s National Supply Company (Conab) estimates an increase of 8.7% compared to last year.
With an estimated area of 84.0 million acres, Brazil’s farmers are expected to grow 103.5 million tons of soybeans, greater than Conab’s December estimates of 102.3 million tons.
Brazil’s total 2017 corn production (first and second crops) is pegged at 84.480 million tons, according to Conab. However, AgRural, a private Brazilian consultancy firm estimates total corn production at 88.6 million tons.
Brazil’s farmers planted and estimated 39.34 million acres of corn in 2017, the majority of this total associated with the second crop (safrihna) crop.
So, Brazilian farmers have a big crop coming on. The question is will they put it on the market all at once? Not exactly.
While farmers were active sellers in December, January’s exchange rate fell out of bed. The U.S. dollar weakened to Brazil’s real, and the farmer-selling faded. In late January, one U.S. dollar equaled around R$ 3.19.
Farmers get paid in dollars. Last year, prices reached R$ 100 per bag of 60 kgs. This year, prices for a bag of soybeans is around R$ 60 to R$ 65 per bag.
Just as Brazil and Argentina are expected to produce more soybeans in 2017, (a combined 102 to 106 million metric tons), smaller countries expect to raise South America’s total even higher. At the same time, some other few countries will have a higher output.
Paraguay is seen producing 9.30 million metric tons of the oilseed (13% more than the previous crop). In Uruguay, after lower output from last year’s lack of soybean seeds, the country would harvest 3.5 million metric tons of soy, according to the newest estimate of the Association of Oil and Grain Exporters of Paraguay.
The British group AHDB says that both countries represent together 4% of global soybean supply and have been out of the scope for a lot of analysts. On the other hand, it is still early to tell if Argentina’s losses would be totally compensated by these two countries. Estimates of losses range from 2 to 8 million metric tons. Argentinian farmers have yet 10 days to finish planting or rework.
The soybean market is performing well, despite solid world supply numbers.
Jason Ward, Northstar Commodity Investment Co. says the USDA’s January WASDE estimates for South America remain big but not surprising to the market.
“We digested a big increase in Brazil production and still world soy stocks declined. Argentina likely has some room to move down on production, especially if wet weather continues,” Ward says.
Compared with the USDA’s previous estimates, the USDA left production estimates unchanged in January, for both Argentina or Brazil.
USDA left Brazil’s 2017 corn output at 86.50 million metric tons, and that country’s soybean production at 104 mmt, up 2 mmt.
Argentina’s estimates, in production, were left unchanged for its corn and soybean output.
Meanwhile, in its January WASDE Report world corn ending stocks were dropped by 1.3 mmt or 51.16 million bushels. World soybean ending stocks declined by 600,000 mmt or 22 million bushels. World wheat ending stocks increased by 1.2 mmt or 44 million bushels.
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Showing posts with label São Paulo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label São Paulo. Show all posts
Sunday, 2 July 2017
Sunday, 5 March 2017
NAMIBIA: Air Namibia, Ethiopian Sign Code Share Agreement
Africa’s largest airline, Ethiopian Airlines, last week concluded a codeshare agreement with Air Namibia. The codeshare agreement covers Ethiopian thrice weekly services to Windhoek and the services of both airlines beyond their respective hubs. The agreement will allow both airlines to expand their global network through the services of each airline and also facilitate the provision of competitive and convenient travel choices to their respective customers.
Mr. Girma Shiferaw, Acting Vice President, Strategic Planning and Alliances said, 'We are glad to partner with Air Namibia. It is my sincere belief that such strategic collaboration among African airlines is one of the necessities to see African aviation thrive and grow faster in line with the economic development of the continent.
Now, customers of Air Namibia will enjoy seamless connection on Ethiopian ever expanding global network across five continents with a minimum layover in Addis Ababa; conversely, our passengers will be able to access destinations beyond Windhoek on Air Namibia flights'.
In response did Air Namibia's Acting Managing Director, Advocate Ellaine Priscilla Samson say: 'We are very pleased with the signing of the codeshare agreement with Ethiopia Airlines, an airline which achieved amazing accomplishments in the global arena. This will be an opportunity for the liberalization of intra-Africa air transport in furtherance of the Yamoussoukro Decision as two African carriers.
In addition, this will assist Air Namibia to expand its network via the global reach and stature of Ethiopia Airlines. Hence the teaming of our two airlines is the consummate endeavor of our continent moving towards a fuller liberalization in the aviation sector'.
The codeshare agreement will allow Ethiopian and Air Namibia to place their codes on each other’s flights beyond their respective hubs.Ethiopian will place its code on SW flights from Windhoek to Gaborone, Luanda, Victoria Falls, and Cape town, while Air Namibia will place it’s code on ET flights between Addis Ababa and Windhoek, Beijing, Lagos, Los Angeles, and São Paulo.
Ethiopian Airlines currently serves more than 90 global destinations across five continents with over 240 daily departures.
Mr. Girma Shiferaw, Acting Vice President, Strategic Planning and Alliances said, 'We are glad to partner with Air Namibia. It is my sincere belief that such strategic collaboration among African airlines is one of the necessities to see African aviation thrive and grow faster in line with the economic development of the continent.
Now, customers of Air Namibia will enjoy seamless connection on Ethiopian ever expanding global network across five continents with a minimum layover in Addis Ababa; conversely, our passengers will be able to access destinations beyond Windhoek on Air Namibia flights'.
In response did Air Namibia's Acting Managing Director, Advocate Ellaine Priscilla Samson say: 'We are very pleased with the signing of the codeshare agreement with Ethiopia Airlines, an airline which achieved amazing accomplishments in the global arena. This will be an opportunity for the liberalization of intra-Africa air transport in furtherance of the Yamoussoukro Decision as two African carriers.
In addition, this will assist Air Namibia to expand its network via the global reach and stature of Ethiopia Airlines. Hence the teaming of our two airlines is the consummate endeavor of our continent moving towards a fuller liberalization in the aviation sector'.
The codeshare agreement will allow Ethiopian and Air Namibia to place their codes on each other’s flights beyond their respective hubs.Ethiopian will place its code on SW flights from Windhoek to Gaborone, Luanda, Victoria Falls, and Cape town, while Air Namibia will place it’s code on ET flights between Addis Ababa and Windhoek, Beijing, Lagos, Los Angeles, and São Paulo.
Ethiopian Airlines currently serves more than 90 global destinations across five continents with over 240 daily departures.
Saturday, 4 March 2017
BRAZIL: Brazilian Carnival
Carnival of Brazil is an annual Brazilian festival held between the Friday afternoon 51 days before Easter and Ash Wednesday at noon, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove meat."
Rhythm, participation, and costumes vary from one region of Brazil to another. In the southeastern cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Vitória, huge organized parades are led by samba schools. Those official parades are meant to be watched by the public, while minor parades "blocos" allowing public participation can be found in other cities, like Belo Horizonte,also in the southeastern region.
The northeastern cities of Recife, Olinda, Salvador, and Porto Seguro have organized groups parading through streets, and public interacts directly with them. This carnival is also influenced by African-Brazilian culture. It is a six-day party where crowds follow the trios elétricos through the city streets, dancing and singing. Also in northeast, Olinda carnival features unique characteristics, heavily influenced by local folklore and cultural manifestations, such as Frevo and Maracatu.
The typical genres of music of Brazilian carnival are, in the Southeast Region in general, mostly cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo: the samba-enredo, the samba de bloco, the samba de embalo and the marchinha; and in the Northeast Region including Pernambuco mostly cities of Olinda and Recife: frevo and maracatu, and Bahia (mostly the city of Salvador): samba-reggae, pagode also a type of Sambaand the main genre axé music.
Carnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil and has become an event of huge proportions. Except for industrial production, retail establishments such as malls, and carnival-related businesses, the country unifies completely for almost a week and festivities are intense, day and night, mainly in coastal cities. Rio de Janeiro's carnival alone drew 4.9 million people in 2011, with 400,000 being foreigners.
Arguably, this cultural manifestation could be historically traced to the Portuguese Age of Discoveries when their caravels passed regularly through Madeira, a territory which already celebrated emphatically its carnival season, and where they were loaded with goods but also people and their ludic and cultural expressions.
Rio de Janeiro
In the late 18th century, the cordões were introduced in Rio de Janeiro. These were pageant groups that paraded through city avenues performing on instruments and dancing. Today they are known as Carnaval blocos (blocks), consisting of a group of people who dress in costumes or special T-shirts with themes and/or logos.
Blocos are generally associated with particular neighbourhoods; they include both a percussion or music group and an entourage of revelers. They eventually became the "fathers" of what everyone today knows as the famous and internationally renowned samba-schools in Brazil.
Samba-schools,not only in Rio de Janeiro, but in São Paulo and several other cities are the cultural epicenter of the Brazilian carnival, in terms of the "parading style". The first registered samba-school was called "Deixa-falar", but disappeared later and the first official samba-school contest happened in 1929, with only three groups, and "Oswaldo Cruz" group won the competition, with a samba written by Heitor dos Prazeres.
GRES Estação Primeira de Mangueira Samba-School, represented by Cartola, and Estácio de Sá samba School, represented by Ismael Silva, were the other 2 contestants. Eventually, "Oswaldo Cruz" became, Portela Samba School, the greatest winner of Rio's Carnival with 21 Titles.
Although many Brazilians tend now to favor other forms of national music culture to that of Rio's samba schools, the carnival of Rio de Janeiro remains the national festival par excellence, and the samba of Rio de Janeiro continues to be an agent of national unification.
Carnaval blocos, also known as Blocos de Rua "Street Blocks" occur in nearly every neighborhood throughout the city and metropolitan areas, but the most famous are the ones in Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Lagoa, Jardim Botânico, and in downtown Rio. Organizers often compose their own music themes that are added to the performance and singing of classic "marchinhas" and samba popular songs.
Cordão do bola preta "Polka Dot Bloco", that goes through the heart of Rio's historical center, and "Suvaco do Cristo" Christ's statue armpit, referring to the angle of the statue seen from the neighborhood, near the Botanical Garden, are some of the most famous groups. Monobloco has become so famous that it plays all year round at parties and small concerts.
The formalized samba schools are very large groups of performers, financed by respected organizations as well as illegal gambling groups, who work year-round in preparation for Carnival. Samba Schools perform in the Sambadrome, which runs four entire nights and is overseen by LIESA.
They are part of an official competition, divided into seven divisions, in which a single school is declared the winner, according to ten judging categories that include costume, flow, theme, and band music quality and performance. Some samba schools also hold street parties in their neighborhoods, through which they parade along with their followers.
All performers at the Sambadrome have to wear a costume. Some honored members of the school or community may receive it free, but normally most will have to pay for their own costume. Tourists can have the same experience on the "Commercial Area" of some Samba Schools but need to buy their own costme from the school, or through an agent, either of which can be quite costly.
Bahia style
There are several major differences between Carnival in the state of Bahia in Northeastern Brazil and Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The musical styles are different at each carnival; in Bahia there are many rhythms, including samba, samba-reggae, axé, etc., while in Rio there is the multitude of samba styles: the "samba-enredo", the "samba de bloco", the "samba de embalo", the "funk-samba", as well as the famous "marchinhas" played by the "bandas" in the streets.
In the 1880s, the black population commemorated the days of Carnival in its own way, highly marked by Yoruba characteristics, dancing in the streets playing instruments. This form was thought of as "primitive" by the upper-class white elite, and the groups were banned from participating in the official Bahia Carnival, dominated by the local conservative elite. The groups defied the ban and continued to do their dances.
By the 1970s, four main types of carnival groups developed in Bahia: Afoxês, Trios Elétricos, "Amerindian" groups, and Blocos Afros. Afoxês use the rhythms of the African inspired religion, Candomblé. They also worship the gods of Candomblé, called orixás. An Electric Trio is characterized by a truck equipped with giant speakers and a platform where musicians play songs of local genres such as axé. People follow the trucks singing and dancing.
The "Amerindian" groups were inspired by Western movies from the United States. The groups dress up as Native Americans and take on Native American names. Blocos Afros, or Afro groups, were influenced by the Black Pride Movement in the United States, independence movements in Africa, and reggae music that denounced racism and oppression. The groups inspired a renewed pride in African heritage.
Today, Bahia's carnival consists mostly of Trios Elétricos, but there are still Blocos Afros and Afoxês. Every year, about half a million tourists are attracted to Salvador. It's also possible to watch everything from the Camarotes (ringside seats) spread out along the way, offering more comfort to the visitors.
Pernambuco style
The North East state of Pernambuco has unique Carnivals in its present capital Recife and in its colonial capital Olinda. Their main rhythms are the frevo and the maracatu. Galo da Madrugada is the biggest carnival parade in the world, considering the number of participants, according The Guinness Book of World Records.
It means "dawn's rooster" and parades, as the name suggests, in the morning only. Frevo is Pernambucan-style dance with African and acrobatic influences, as it is fast and electrifying, often using an open umbrella and frequent legs and arms movements.
Unlike Salvador and Rio, the festivities in Recife, Olinda and Itamaraca do not include group competitions. Instead, groups dance and play instruments side by side. Troças and maracatus, mostly of African influence, begin one week before Carnival and end a week later. Some well-known groups have funny names, such as: Tell me you love me, damn eggymann (with a famous giant dancing doll that leads the group), Crazy Lover, Olinda's Underpants, and The Door. Held 40 days before Lent.
São Paulo style
The carnival in São Paulo takes place in the Anhembi Sambadrome on the Friday and Saturday night of the week of Carnival, as opposed to Rio's Carnival, which is held on Sunday and Monday night.
Various "samba schools" compete in a huge parade. Each school presents a different theme, which they expose through their costumes, dance, music, and the allegorical cars or "carros alegóricos", huge vehicles decorated according to the theme designed specifically for the parade.
The schools are responsible for choosing their own themes, which usually revolve around historical happenings or some sort of cultural or political movement.
The most famous (and usually the winners) samba schools are: Nenê de Vila Matilde, Gaviões da Fiel, Vai-Vai, Camisa Verde Branco, Peruche, Mocidade Alegre, Rosas de Ouro, Vila Maria, Mancha Verde, and Império da Casa Verde.
Vai-Vai is the oldest school and has been the First Division champion most times (15 total, including the 2015 championship). It also is the most popular, for it has the most fans.
Espírito Santo style
The Carnival in Vitória are performed one week before Carnival, more precisely in Sambão do Povo. The schools are responsible for choosing their own themes, which usually revolve around historical happenings or some sort of cultural or political movement.
The most famous (and usually the winners) samba schools are: Unidos de Jucutuquara, MUG, Andaraí, Independentes de Boa Vista, and Novo Império.
Minas Gerais style
Minas also holds some important carnival parades, mainly in the historic cities of Ouro Preto, Mariana, São João del Rei, and Diamantina. They are held mostly by students' houses, which attract a majority of young people from the neighbor states. There are also other major parades in the region, such as the one in Pompéu.
Carnival in Minas Gerais is often characterized by blocos carnavalescos with varying themes and costume styles, almost always accompanied by a brass and drums band. However, Minas Gerais carnival was first influenced by the Rio de Janeiro Carnival (several cities have their own samba schools). Later, some Axé groups from Bahia came to play in the state every carnival season.
The Carnival of the city of Ouro Preto is very popular with college students in the area. The city has a large proportion of students, who during the year live in places called Repúblicas (a rented house maintained and ruled by themselves). During carnival, the Repúblicas are literally packed with residents and many visitors coming from all over the country. The hills prevent traffic of heavy sound trucks, but don't stop people from feasting all night and day.
However, some view the Ouro Preto carnival festivities as a threat to the old and historical harmony of the region. According to one such person: the recent emergence of industry from the surrounding localities, population growth, and a spike in street traffic have jeopardized Carnival as older citizens remember it. One cause for alarm is the street carnival of Ouro Preto, which attracts thrill-seeking students from across Brazil. The students crowd the streets while playing loud and arguably disruptive music.
Some southern cities such as Uruguaiana, Florianópolis, Manaus, and Porto Alegre have smaller samba school groups or blocos, but like São Paulo state towns, they seem to prefer balls to street dancing. Curitiba hosts modest carnival celebrations similar to those of other Brazilian cities and events such as Curitiba Rock Festival and a carnival Zombie Walk, all supported by Cultural Foundation of Curitiba which operates under supervision of government of Curitiba.
Sambódromo
The Carnival parades in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo take place in the Sambodromo, located close to the city center. In the city of Rio, the parades start at 20:00 or 21:00 (depending on the date) and end around 5:00 in the morning. The Rio de Janeiro Metro (subway) operates 24 hours during the main parade days.
The actual amount of spectators in the Sambodromo may be higher than the official number of seats mentioned below. Sector 9 is an exception. Actually the word 'seat' is not relevant. In Sector 1, access is given to the local community at a symbolic cost. Sectors 6 and 13 are the cheapest. Sectors 3, 5, and 7 have equally good views (even though there is a price difference between them). Sector 9 has marked seats and is therefore less crowded. Dress Circle and Boxes are the best, and priced accordingly.
Samba
Originated in Bahia, but developed in Rio de Janeiro between the end of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century, the samba is still one of the most popular music styles of Brazil. From intimate samba-canções (samba songs) sung in bars to explosive drum parades performed during carnival, samba always evokes a warm and vibrant mood. In the 1930s, a group of musicians led by Ismael Silva founded in the neighbourhood of Estácio de Sá the first samba school, Deixa Falar.
They transformed the musical genre to make it fit better the carnival parade. In this decade, the radio spread the genre's popularity all around the country, and with the support of the nationalist dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas, samba became Brazil's "official music."
In the following years, samba has developed in several directions, from the gentle samba-canção to the drum orchestras which make the soundtrack of carnival parade. One of these new styles was bossa nova, a musical movement initially spearheaded by young musicians and college students from Rio de Janeiro. It got increasingly popular over time, with the works of João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
In the sixties, Brazil was politically divided, and the leftist musicians of bossa nova started to draw attention to the music made in the favelas. Many popular artists were discovered at this time. Names like Cartola, Nelson Cavaquinho, Velha Guarda da Portela, Zé Keti, and Clementina de Jesus recorded their first albums. In the seventies, the samba got back to radio. Composers and singers like Martinho da Vila, Clara Nunes, and Beth Carvalho dominated the hit parade.
In the beginning of the eighties, after having been sent to the underground due to styles like disco and Brazilian rock, Samba reappeared in the media with a musical movement created in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. It was the pagode, a renewed samba, with new instruments, like the banjo and the tantan, and a new language, more popular, filled with slang.
The most popular names were Zeca Pagodinho, Almir Guineto, Grupo Fundo de Quintal, Jorge Aragão, and Jovelina Pérola Negra. Various samba schools have been founded throughout Brazil. A samba school combines the dancing and party fun of a night club with the gathering place of a social club and the community feeling of a volunteer group. During the spectacular Rio Carnival, famous samba schools parade in the Sambódromo.
Frevo
Frevo is a wide range of musical styles originating from Recife and Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil, all of which are traditionally associated with Brazilian Carnival. The word frevo is said to come from frever, a misspeaking of the Portuguese word ferver (to boil). It is said that the sound of the frevo will make listeners and dancers to feel as they are boiling on the ground. The word frevo is normally used interchangeably either to mean the frevo music or the frevo dance.
The frevo music came first. By the end of the 19th century, bands from the Brazilian Army regiments based in the city of Recife started a tradition of parading during the Carnival. Since the Carnival is originally linked to religion, they played religious procession marches and martial music, as well.
A couple of regiments had famous bands which attracted lots of followers and it was just a matter of time to people start to compare one to another and cheer for their favorite bands. The two most famous bands were the Espanha (meaning Spain), whose conductor was of Spanish origin, and the 14, from the 14th regiment. The bands started to compete with each other and also started playing faster and faster, louder and louder.
Axé
Axé is not exactly about a style or musical movement, but rather about a useful brand name given to artists from Salvador who made music upon northeastern Brazilian, Caribbean, and African rhythms with a pop-rock twist, which helped them take over the Brazilian hit parades since 1992. Axé is a ritual greeting used in Candomblé and Umbanda religions, and means "good vibration."
The word music was attached to Axé, used as slang within the local music biz, by a journalist who intended to create a derogatory term for the pretentious dance-driven style.
As singer Daniela Mercury began her rise to stardom in Rio and São Paulo, anything coming from Salvador would be labeled Axé Music. Soon, the artists became oblivious to the derogatory origins of the term and started taking advantage of it.
With the media pushing it forward, the soundtrack of Carnival in Salvador quickly spread over the country (through off-season Carnival shindigs), strengthening its industrial potentials and producing year-round hits along the 90s.
Tested within the height of Carnival heat, Axé songs have been commercially successful in Brazil throughout the past decade. The year 1998 was particularly fortunate for the artists from Bahia: together, Daniela Mercury, Claudia Leitte, Ivete Sangalo, Asa de Aguia, Chiclete com Banana, Araketu, Cheiro de Amor, and É o Tchan sold over 3.4 million records.
The Brazilian Carnival Parades were first broadcast in the late 1960s on television on Rede Globo, which brought the Rio celebrations live, bringing the celebrations to more people all over the nation.
By the 1970s, color broadcasting and satellite transmissions made the broadcasts to be beamed to other parts of the nation in real time, by then featuring the top schools under, since 1984 the Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro - also known as the Special Group since 1990, and formerly under the Associação das Escolas de Samba da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Now defunct, Rede Manchete broadcast the event on several occasions and mounted a joint broadcast with Globo for the 1987 event.
Now dubbed Globeleza since 1991 Globo's broadcast of the parades at the Sambodrome in Rio and São Paulo has become the center of national and international attention. Fans of the samba schools on parade also expect a short preview of the performances of the schools involved to be broadcast during the duration of the event.
Globo acquired also the rights to air the parade of samba schools of São Paulo in 1990, and victory parades there were later aired in other local TV channels. Parades belonging to the Access Group (5th Division) and the B Series schools in Rio were also broadcast on several TV stations and are still the case today (in 2015 Rede Record and NGT aired the parades of the lower level schools).
Since 2014, Globo also has full rights to the Series A (Rio) and Paulista parades, which were co-shared with the Viva Channel before its closure in 2015 (which aired lower-level parades and the victory parades of the two cities' winning schools for the year) and regionally, RBS airs the Carnivals of Florianopólis and Porto Alegre, and since 2015, cable channel TVCOM display the gaucho parades in the south.
The Rio parade can also be heard on radio and seen via online streaming as well (thru TVG Rio and from 2015 in G1, which offers an online live streaming of the victory parade).
The Carnivals of Recife and Salvador are shown by Band since the early 2000s, and Band also holds broadcast rights for the victory parade. Both fall under the Band Folia brand.
This is also the case for SBT which also broadcasts the events under the SBT Folia banner and is also, since recently, seen via live streaming on YouTube. Globo also has its own broadcast team and crew for the broadcasts of the late night Galo da Madrugada in Recife since 2008.
Rhythm, participation, and costumes vary from one region of Brazil to another. In the southeastern cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Vitória, huge organized parades are led by samba schools. Those official parades are meant to be watched by the public, while minor parades "blocos" allowing public participation can be found in other cities, like Belo Horizonte,also in the southeastern region.
The northeastern cities of Recife, Olinda, Salvador, and Porto Seguro have organized groups parading through streets, and public interacts directly with them. This carnival is also influenced by African-Brazilian culture. It is a six-day party where crowds follow the trios elétricos through the city streets, dancing and singing. Also in northeast, Olinda carnival features unique characteristics, heavily influenced by local folklore and cultural manifestations, such as Frevo and Maracatu.
The typical genres of music of Brazilian carnival are, in the Southeast Region in general, mostly cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo: the samba-enredo, the samba de bloco, the samba de embalo and the marchinha; and in the Northeast Region including Pernambuco mostly cities of Olinda and Recife: frevo and maracatu, and Bahia (mostly the city of Salvador): samba-reggae, pagode also a type of Sambaand the main genre axé music.
Carnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil and has become an event of huge proportions. Except for industrial production, retail establishments such as malls, and carnival-related businesses, the country unifies completely for almost a week and festivities are intense, day and night, mainly in coastal cities. Rio de Janeiro's carnival alone drew 4.9 million people in 2011, with 400,000 being foreigners.
Arguably, this cultural manifestation could be historically traced to the Portuguese Age of Discoveries when their caravels passed regularly through Madeira, a territory which already celebrated emphatically its carnival season, and where they were loaded with goods but also people and their ludic and cultural expressions.
Rio de Janeiro
In the late 18th century, the cordões were introduced in Rio de Janeiro. These were pageant groups that paraded through city avenues performing on instruments and dancing. Today they are known as Carnaval blocos (blocks), consisting of a group of people who dress in costumes or special T-shirts with themes and/or logos.
Blocos are generally associated with particular neighbourhoods; they include both a percussion or music group and an entourage of revelers. They eventually became the "fathers" of what everyone today knows as the famous and internationally renowned samba-schools in Brazil.
Samba-schools,not only in Rio de Janeiro, but in São Paulo and several other cities are the cultural epicenter of the Brazilian carnival, in terms of the "parading style". The first registered samba-school was called "Deixa-falar", but disappeared later and the first official samba-school contest happened in 1929, with only three groups, and "Oswaldo Cruz" group won the competition, with a samba written by Heitor dos Prazeres.
GRES Estação Primeira de Mangueira Samba-School, represented by Cartola, and Estácio de Sá samba School, represented by Ismael Silva, were the other 2 contestants. Eventually, "Oswaldo Cruz" became, Portela Samba School, the greatest winner of Rio's Carnival with 21 Titles.
Although many Brazilians tend now to favor other forms of national music culture to that of Rio's samba schools, the carnival of Rio de Janeiro remains the national festival par excellence, and the samba of Rio de Janeiro continues to be an agent of national unification.
Carnaval blocos, also known as Blocos de Rua "Street Blocks" occur in nearly every neighborhood throughout the city and metropolitan areas, but the most famous are the ones in Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Lagoa, Jardim Botânico, and in downtown Rio. Organizers often compose their own music themes that are added to the performance and singing of classic "marchinhas" and samba popular songs.
Cordão do bola preta "Polka Dot Bloco", that goes through the heart of Rio's historical center, and "Suvaco do Cristo" Christ's statue armpit, referring to the angle of the statue seen from the neighborhood, near the Botanical Garden, are some of the most famous groups. Monobloco has become so famous that it plays all year round at parties and small concerts.
The formalized samba schools are very large groups of performers, financed by respected organizations as well as illegal gambling groups, who work year-round in preparation for Carnival. Samba Schools perform in the Sambadrome, which runs four entire nights and is overseen by LIESA.
They are part of an official competition, divided into seven divisions, in which a single school is declared the winner, according to ten judging categories that include costume, flow, theme, and band music quality and performance. Some samba schools also hold street parties in their neighborhoods, through which they parade along with their followers.
All performers at the Sambadrome have to wear a costume. Some honored members of the school or community may receive it free, but normally most will have to pay for their own costume. Tourists can have the same experience on the "Commercial Area" of some Samba Schools but need to buy their own costme from the school, or through an agent, either of which can be quite costly.
Bahia style
There are several major differences between Carnival in the state of Bahia in Northeastern Brazil and Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The musical styles are different at each carnival; in Bahia there are many rhythms, including samba, samba-reggae, axé, etc., while in Rio there is the multitude of samba styles: the "samba-enredo", the "samba de bloco", the "samba de embalo", the "funk-samba", as well as the famous "marchinhas" played by the "bandas" in the streets.
In the 1880s, the black population commemorated the days of Carnival in its own way, highly marked by Yoruba characteristics, dancing in the streets playing instruments. This form was thought of as "primitive" by the upper-class white elite, and the groups were banned from participating in the official Bahia Carnival, dominated by the local conservative elite. The groups defied the ban and continued to do their dances.
By the 1970s, four main types of carnival groups developed in Bahia: Afoxês, Trios Elétricos, "Amerindian" groups, and Blocos Afros. Afoxês use the rhythms of the African inspired religion, Candomblé. They also worship the gods of Candomblé, called orixás. An Electric Trio is characterized by a truck equipped with giant speakers and a platform where musicians play songs of local genres such as axé. People follow the trucks singing and dancing.
The "Amerindian" groups were inspired by Western movies from the United States. The groups dress up as Native Americans and take on Native American names. Blocos Afros, or Afro groups, were influenced by the Black Pride Movement in the United States, independence movements in Africa, and reggae music that denounced racism and oppression. The groups inspired a renewed pride in African heritage.
Today, Bahia's carnival consists mostly of Trios Elétricos, but there are still Blocos Afros and Afoxês. Every year, about half a million tourists are attracted to Salvador. It's also possible to watch everything from the Camarotes (ringside seats) spread out along the way, offering more comfort to the visitors.
Pernambuco style
The North East state of Pernambuco has unique Carnivals in its present capital Recife and in its colonial capital Olinda. Their main rhythms are the frevo and the maracatu. Galo da Madrugada is the biggest carnival parade in the world, considering the number of participants, according The Guinness Book of World Records.
It means "dawn's rooster" and parades, as the name suggests, in the morning only. Frevo is Pernambucan-style dance with African and acrobatic influences, as it is fast and electrifying, often using an open umbrella and frequent legs and arms movements.
Unlike Salvador and Rio, the festivities in Recife, Olinda and Itamaraca do not include group competitions. Instead, groups dance and play instruments side by side. Troças and maracatus, mostly of African influence, begin one week before Carnival and end a week later. Some well-known groups have funny names, such as: Tell me you love me, damn eggymann (with a famous giant dancing doll that leads the group), Crazy Lover, Olinda's Underpants, and The Door. Held 40 days before Lent.
São Paulo style
The carnival in São Paulo takes place in the Anhembi Sambadrome on the Friday and Saturday night of the week of Carnival, as opposed to Rio's Carnival, which is held on Sunday and Monday night.
Various "samba schools" compete in a huge parade. Each school presents a different theme, which they expose through their costumes, dance, music, and the allegorical cars or "carros alegóricos", huge vehicles decorated according to the theme designed specifically for the parade.
The schools are responsible for choosing their own themes, which usually revolve around historical happenings or some sort of cultural or political movement.
The most famous (and usually the winners) samba schools are: Nenê de Vila Matilde, Gaviões da Fiel, Vai-Vai, Camisa Verde Branco, Peruche, Mocidade Alegre, Rosas de Ouro, Vila Maria, Mancha Verde, and Império da Casa Verde.
Vai-Vai is the oldest school and has been the First Division champion most times (15 total, including the 2015 championship). It also is the most popular, for it has the most fans.
Espírito Santo style
The Carnival in Vitória are performed one week before Carnival, more precisely in Sambão do Povo. The schools are responsible for choosing their own themes, which usually revolve around historical happenings or some sort of cultural or political movement.
The most famous (and usually the winners) samba schools are: Unidos de Jucutuquara, MUG, Andaraí, Independentes de Boa Vista, and Novo Império.
Minas Gerais style
Minas also holds some important carnival parades, mainly in the historic cities of Ouro Preto, Mariana, São João del Rei, and Diamantina. They are held mostly by students' houses, which attract a majority of young people from the neighbor states. There are also other major parades in the region, such as the one in Pompéu.
Carnival in Minas Gerais is often characterized by blocos carnavalescos with varying themes and costume styles, almost always accompanied by a brass and drums band. However, Minas Gerais carnival was first influenced by the Rio de Janeiro Carnival (several cities have their own samba schools). Later, some Axé groups from Bahia came to play in the state every carnival season.
The Carnival of the city of Ouro Preto is very popular with college students in the area. The city has a large proportion of students, who during the year live in places called Repúblicas (a rented house maintained and ruled by themselves). During carnival, the Repúblicas are literally packed with residents and many visitors coming from all over the country. The hills prevent traffic of heavy sound trucks, but don't stop people from feasting all night and day.
However, some view the Ouro Preto carnival festivities as a threat to the old and historical harmony of the region. According to one such person: the recent emergence of industry from the surrounding localities, population growth, and a spike in street traffic have jeopardized Carnival as older citizens remember it. One cause for alarm is the street carnival of Ouro Preto, which attracts thrill-seeking students from across Brazil. The students crowd the streets while playing loud and arguably disruptive music.
Some southern cities such as Uruguaiana, Florianópolis, Manaus, and Porto Alegre have smaller samba school groups or blocos, but like São Paulo state towns, they seem to prefer balls to street dancing. Curitiba hosts modest carnival celebrations similar to those of other Brazilian cities and events such as Curitiba Rock Festival and a carnival Zombie Walk, all supported by Cultural Foundation of Curitiba which operates under supervision of government of Curitiba.
Sambódromo
The Carnival parades in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo take place in the Sambodromo, located close to the city center. In the city of Rio, the parades start at 20:00 or 21:00 (depending on the date) and end around 5:00 in the morning. The Rio de Janeiro Metro (subway) operates 24 hours during the main parade days.
The actual amount of spectators in the Sambodromo may be higher than the official number of seats mentioned below. Sector 9 is an exception. Actually the word 'seat' is not relevant. In Sector 1, access is given to the local community at a symbolic cost. Sectors 6 and 13 are the cheapest. Sectors 3, 5, and 7 have equally good views (even though there is a price difference between them). Sector 9 has marked seats and is therefore less crowded. Dress Circle and Boxes are the best, and priced accordingly.
Samba
Originated in Bahia, but developed in Rio de Janeiro between the end of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century, the samba is still one of the most popular music styles of Brazil. From intimate samba-canções (samba songs) sung in bars to explosive drum parades performed during carnival, samba always evokes a warm and vibrant mood. In the 1930s, a group of musicians led by Ismael Silva founded in the neighbourhood of Estácio de Sá the first samba school, Deixa Falar.
They transformed the musical genre to make it fit better the carnival parade. In this decade, the radio spread the genre's popularity all around the country, and with the support of the nationalist dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas, samba became Brazil's "official music."
In the following years, samba has developed in several directions, from the gentle samba-canção to the drum orchestras which make the soundtrack of carnival parade. One of these new styles was bossa nova, a musical movement initially spearheaded by young musicians and college students from Rio de Janeiro. It got increasingly popular over time, with the works of João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
In the sixties, Brazil was politically divided, and the leftist musicians of bossa nova started to draw attention to the music made in the favelas. Many popular artists were discovered at this time. Names like Cartola, Nelson Cavaquinho, Velha Guarda da Portela, Zé Keti, and Clementina de Jesus recorded their first albums. In the seventies, the samba got back to radio. Composers and singers like Martinho da Vila, Clara Nunes, and Beth Carvalho dominated the hit parade.
In the beginning of the eighties, after having been sent to the underground due to styles like disco and Brazilian rock, Samba reappeared in the media with a musical movement created in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. It was the pagode, a renewed samba, with new instruments, like the banjo and the tantan, and a new language, more popular, filled with slang.
The most popular names were Zeca Pagodinho, Almir Guineto, Grupo Fundo de Quintal, Jorge Aragão, and Jovelina Pérola Negra. Various samba schools have been founded throughout Brazil. A samba school combines the dancing and party fun of a night club with the gathering place of a social club and the community feeling of a volunteer group. During the spectacular Rio Carnival, famous samba schools parade in the Sambódromo.
Frevo
Frevo is a wide range of musical styles originating from Recife and Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil, all of which are traditionally associated with Brazilian Carnival. The word frevo is said to come from frever, a misspeaking of the Portuguese word ferver (to boil). It is said that the sound of the frevo will make listeners and dancers to feel as they are boiling on the ground. The word frevo is normally used interchangeably either to mean the frevo music or the frevo dance.
The frevo music came first. By the end of the 19th century, bands from the Brazilian Army regiments based in the city of Recife started a tradition of parading during the Carnival. Since the Carnival is originally linked to religion, they played religious procession marches and martial music, as well.
A couple of regiments had famous bands which attracted lots of followers and it was just a matter of time to people start to compare one to another and cheer for their favorite bands. The two most famous bands were the Espanha (meaning Spain), whose conductor was of Spanish origin, and the 14, from the 14th regiment. The bands started to compete with each other and also started playing faster and faster, louder and louder.
Axé
Axé is not exactly about a style or musical movement, but rather about a useful brand name given to artists from Salvador who made music upon northeastern Brazilian, Caribbean, and African rhythms with a pop-rock twist, which helped them take over the Brazilian hit parades since 1992. Axé is a ritual greeting used in Candomblé and Umbanda religions, and means "good vibration."
The word music was attached to Axé, used as slang within the local music biz, by a journalist who intended to create a derogatory term for the pretentious dance-driven style.
As singer Daniela Mercury began her rise to stardom in Rio and São Paulo, anything coming from Salvador would be labeled Axé Music. Soon, the artists became oblivious to the derogatory origins of the term and started taking advantage of it.
With the media pushing it forward, the soundtrack of Carnival in Salvador quickly spread over the country (through off-season Carnival shindigs), strengthening its industrial potentials and producing year-round hits along the 90s.
Tested within the height of Carnival heat, Axé songs have been commercially successful in Brazil throughout the past decade. The year 1998 was particularly fortunate for the artists from Bahia: together, Daniela Mercury, Claudia Leitte, Ivete Sangalo, Asa de Aguia, Chiclete com Banana, Araketu, Cheiro de Amor, and É o Tchan sold over 3.4 million records.
The Brazilian Carnival Parades were first broadcast in the late 1960s on television on Rede Globo, which brought the Rio celebrations live, bringing the celebrations to more people all over the nation.
By the 1970s, color broadcasting and satellite transmissions made the broadcasts to be beamed to other parts of the nation in real time, by then featuring the top schools under, since 1984 the Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro - also known as the Special Group since 1990, and formerly under the Associação das Escolas de Samba da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Now defunct, Rede Manchete broadcast the event on several occasions and mounted a joint broadcast with Globo for the 1987 event.
Now dubbed Globeleza since 1991 Globo's broadcast of the parades at the Sambodrome in Rio and São Paulo has become the center of national and international attention. Fans of the samba schools on parade also expect a short preview of the performances of the schools involved to be broadcast during the duration of the event.
Globo acquired also the rights to air the parade of samba schools of São Paulo in 1990, and victory parades there were later aired in other local TV channels. Parades belonging to the Access Group (5th Division) and the B Series schools in Rio were also broadcast on several TV stations and are still the case today (in 2015 Rede Record and NGT aired the parades of the lower level schools).
Since 2014, Globo also has full rights to the Series A (Rio) and Paulista parades, which were co-shared with the Viva Channel before its closure in 2015 (which aired lower-level parades and the victory parades of the two cities' winning schools for the year) and regionally, RBS airs the Carnivals of Florianopólis and Porto Alegre, and since 2015, cable channel TVCOM display the gaucho parades in the south.
The Rio parade can also be heard on radio and seen via online streaming as well (thru TVG Rio and from 2015 in G1, which offers an online live streaming of the victory parade).
The Carnivals of Recife and Salvador are shown by Band since the early 2000s, and Band also holds broadcast rights for the victory parade. Both fall under the Band Folia brand.
This is also the case for SBT which also broadcasts the events under the SBT Folia banner and is also, since recently, seen via live streaming on YouTube. Globo also has its own broadcast team and crew for the broadcasts of the late night Galo da Madrugada in Recife since 2008.
Friday, 6 January 2017
ETHIOIPIA: Ethiopia Airlines To Fly To Chengdu
Effective 03rd of June will Ethiopian Airlines launch their fifth destination in China, when nonstop flights between Addis Ababa and Chengdu will commence.
Using a two class Boeing B787 will the initial three flights per week leave the Ethiopian capital every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, returning to Addis Ababa on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Departure time is set from ADD at ten minutes past midnight, giving connecting passengers from across Africa ample time to connect to the Chengdu service. Landing of the return flights is scheduled for 06.20 hrs (a.m.), again providing instant and short wait onward connections to the rest of the continent.
Chengdu is China's seventh largest city and a key industrial, logistics, trade, IT and transport hub.
Notably does Ethiopian in conjunction with Star Alliance partner Air China then offer a range of onward destinations beyond Chengdu for passengers destined for such cities as Shenzhen, Kunming, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Wuhan, Changsha, and Urumqi.
Said the airline's CEO Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam when making the announcement earlier today: 'We are glad to launch services to Chengdu, our fifth gateway to The Republic of China. Since our first flight 43 years ago, China has been a key market and it is now the largest per country market in our system. Using the geocentric location advantage of our hub in Addis Ababa we are connecting China, the world's second largest economy and Africa’s biggest trade and investment partner, with 52 cities in the continent of Africa.
With the addition of Chengdu, we shall offer the best and fastest connectivity options with a total of 34 weekly flights to China, operated with the latest and most comfortable B787 and B777 aircraft. Our Chinese customers will also enjoy seamless connection on Ethiopian's vast intra African network and further to São Paulo in Brazil.
Ethiopian is investing to make Addis Ababa a Chinese friendly hub airport for the continent. We now have Mandarin translators and signage available at the airport transit area and in the Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge. Chinese New Year is also marked every year at Addis Ababa Airport'.
Ethiopian was the first African airline and the fourth in the world to fly to China as early as 1973. In addition to the three weekly flights to Chengdu to be launched in June, Ethiopian currently also operates daily nonstop flights to Beijing, 10 weekly nonstop services to Guangzhou and 6 weekly nonstop flights to Hong Kong.
In a related development is the decision now nearing which manufacturer will provide the next generation of smaller single aisle jets to Ethiopian Airlines. Speculation is mounting that the Bombardier's CS Series - Ethiopian is already successfully flying 15 Bombardier Q400NG's - may become the aircraft of choice.
Ethiopian's aviation academy already operates a simulator for the Bombardier Q400 and also offers maintenance services for this aircraft type, making a valid case to further strengthen the relationship between the airline group and Canadian manufacturer Bombardier.
Using a two class Boeing B787 will the initial three flights per week leave the Ethiopian capital every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, returning to Addis Ababa on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Departure time is set from ADD at ten minutes past midnight, giving connecting passengers from across Africa ample time to connect to the Chengdu service. Landing of the return flights is scheduled for 06.20 hrs (a.m.), again providing instant and short wait onward connections to the rest of the continent.
Chengdu is China's seventh largest city and a key industrial, logistics, trade, IT and transport hub.
Notably does Ethiopian in conjunction with Star Alliance partner Air China then offer a range of onward destinations beyond Chengdu for passengers destined for such cities as Shenzhen, Kunming, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Wuhan, Changsha, and Urumqi.
Said the airline's CEO Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam when making the announcement earlier today: 'We are glad to launch services to Chengdu, our fifth gateway to The Republic of China. Since our first flight 43 years ago, China has been a key market and it is now the largest per country market in our system. Using the geocentric location advantage of our hub in Addis Ababa we are connecting China, the world's second largest economy and Africa’s biggest trade and investment partner, with 52 cities in the continent of Africa.
With the addition of Chengdu, we shall offer the best and fastest connectivity options with a total of 34 weekly flights to China, operated with the latest and most comfortable B787 and B777 aircraft. Our Chinese customers will also enjoy seamless connection on Ethiopian's vast intra African network and further to São Paulo in Brazil.
Ethiopian is investing to make Addis Ababa a Chinese friendly hub airport for the continent. We now have Mandarin translators and signage available at the airport transit area and in the Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge. Chinese New Year is also marked every year at Addis Ababa Airport'.
Ethiopian was the first African airline and the fourth in the world to fly to China as early as 1973. In addition to the three weekly flights to Chengdu to be launched in June, Ethiopian currently also operates daily nonstop flights to Beijing, 10 weekly nonstop services to Guangzhou and 6 weekly nonstop flights to Hong Kong.
In a related development is the decision now nearing which manufacturer will provide the next generation of smaller single aisle jets to Ethiopian Airlines. Speculation is mounting that the Bombardier's CS Series - Ethiopian is already successfully flying 15 Bombardier Q400NG's - may become the aircraft of choice.
Ethiopian's aviation academy already operates a simulator for the Bombardier Q400 and also offers maintenance services for this aircraft type, making a valid case to further strengthen the relationship between the airline group and Canadian manufacturer Bombardier.
Monday, 23 May 2016
BRAZIL: Enter The Brazilian Wilderness
In nature, it usually takes effort and determination to reach the top. The road may be long, but it’s rewarding: lush landscapes, rare flowers and, fascinating waterfalls to enrich the spirit and relax the body in Brasil.
Fill your water bottle, backpack with lots of stamina and get ready to run into breathtaking scenarios.
Cachoeira da Fumaça- Chapada Diamantina
The Cachoeira da Fumaça waterfall is part of the attractions of the Vale do Capão, in the Chapada Diamantina National Park. Considered the largest cascade in Brasil and fifth in the world, with 370 m water fall, its speed and the strength of the winds often prevent the water from hitting the ground.
Serra do Cipó – Minas Gerais
Serra do Cipó is currently one of the main sights of Minas Gerais and it’s located 100 km from the State capital, Belo horizonte. Of incomparable beauty, with more than 60 waterfalls and one of the most diverse faunas and floras of the world, the region combines recreation, outdoor activities and scientific research.
Visconde de Mauá – Rio de Janeiro
Visconde de Mauá, 210 km from Rio de Janeiro, is an environmental protection area, with numerous natural attractions, such as waterfalls, natural pools, rivers, rock formations, peaks and viewpoints. Sports are also largely practiced at the site, from trekking, camping, rappelling, rafting, and off-roading, among others.
Petar – São Paulo
The Alto Ribeira Touristic State Park – PETAR is considered one of the most important Conservation Areas in the world. It’s home to a large area of preserved Atlantic forest in Brasil and more than 300 caves. It is considered today a world heritage site recognized by UNESCO. There, you can find caves up to 6 km long, like Caverna Santana, where the galleries form an exciting labyrinth. It’s an ideal place for hiking and trekking, caving, speleology, buoy cross, camping and other outdoor activities.
Fill your water bottle, backpack with lots of stamina and get ready to run into breathtaking scenarios.
Cachoeira da Fumaça- Chapada Diamantina
The Cachoeira da Fumaça waterfall is part of the attractions of the Vale do Capão, in the Chapada Diamantina National Park. Considered the largest cascade in Brasil and fifth in the world, with 370 m water fall, its speed and the strength of the winds often prevent the water from hitting the ground.
Serra do Cipó – Minas Gerais
Serra do Cipó is currently one of the main sights of Minas Gerais and it’s located 100 km from the State capital, Belo horizonte. Of incomparable beauty, with more than 60 waterfalls and one of the most diverse faunas and floras of the world, the region combines recreation, outdoor activities and scientific research.
Visconde de Mauá – Rio de Janeiro
Visconde de Mauá, 210 km from Rio de Janeiro, is an environmental protection area, with numerous natural attractions, such as waterfalls, natural pools, rivers, rock formations, peaks and viewpoints. Sports are also largely practiced at the site, from trekking, camping, rappelling, rafting, and off-roading, among others.
Petar – São Paulo
The Alto Ribeira Touristic State Park – PETAR is considered one of the most important Conservation Areas in the world. It’s home to a large area of preserved Atlantic forest in Brasil and more than 300 caves. It is considered today a world heritage site recognized by UNESCO. There, you can find caves up to 6 km long, like Caverna Santana, where the galleries form an exciting labyrinth. It’s an ideal place for hiking and trekking, caving, speleology, buoy cross, camping and other outdoor activities.
Friday, 12 February 2016
SAUDI ARABIA: Flynas Celebrates New Service Connecting Riyadh And Abu Dhabi
Riyadh, 16 December, 2015: Marking an important milestone in its planned growth strategy, the Saudi Arabian national carrier flynas today inaugurated its new service connecting Riyadh and Abu Dhabi with non-stop flights operating five days per week.
Highlighting flynas’ success in strategically expanding its footprint in key markets across the region, the launch of the new service makes Abu Dhabi the fourth destination to be added to the airline’s GCC network after Dubai, Kuwait and Bahrain and expands the leading low-cost carrier’s reach to a total of 26 destinations within and outside of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Commenting on the launch of the new service, Bander Al Mohanna, NAS Holding CEO, said: “We are delighted to touch down in Abu Dhabi with the launch of this new five-times-per-week service that connects the two capitals while offering convenient and affordable air travel options to guests traveling in both directions.
Adding Abu Dhabi to our GCC route network is an important strategic step for flynas due to multiple reasons, including our codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways as well as the long-standing friendship and the strong bilateral business and economic ties shared by the two nations. Moreover, Abu Dhabi’s growing prominence as both a leading family-friendly tourism destination and a strategic business hub makes the opening of the new route a highly attractive proposition for Saudi travelers.”
“The service also takes our codeshare partnership with Etihad Airways to a whole new level, creating further opportunity for growth as we soar into the future with a renewed business strategy to continue expanding our reach into new markets with sheer confidence and optimism,” Bander Al Mohanna added.
Offering many benefits to flynas guests traveling from KSA, the new service strengthens flynas’ codeshare partnership with the UAE’s national airline Etihad Airways, which allows flynas to place its “XY” flight code on over 200 Etihad Airways’ flights between Abu Dhabi and 20 international destinations, including Amsterdam, Brussels, Casablanca, Geneva, Islamabad, Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, London, Manchester, Paris, São Paulo, Seychelles, Singapore, Zurich, and subsequently on flights operating to the Indian subcontinent over the coming months, subject to regulatory approvals.
As part of the agreement, flynas flights can be sold to over 100 destinations around the world. Moreover, Etihad Airways will further promote the new service – providing additional value to flynas’ network throughout KSA.
“Our codeshare agreement with flynas was initiated over three years ago, and the partnership has developed into an outstanding commercial success. Importantly, we are providing the increasing numbers of business and leisure travelers with enhanced travel options into and out of KSA,” said Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ Chief Strategy and Planning Officer.
“We are delighted to build on this success by codesharing on flynas’ new flights between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which complements Etihad Airways’ 13 weekly flights between the two cities. We congratulate flynas on the launch of this new service, which will create new value for our companies and increase travel options for our guests,” Kevin Knight added.
Welcoming flynas’ inaugural flight in Abu Dhabi, Eng. Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “We are pleased to welcome flynas’ entry into the UAE capital. This new service is in line with our strategy of further developing our airline portfolio while providing passengers with a world-class travel experience whether they are traveling for business or leisure. The opening of this strategic route also successfully complements the collaborative efforts made by Abu Dhabi Airports and Abu Dhabi Tourism and Cultural Authority to further strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as one of the leading tourist destinations regionally and internationally. From providing efficient and timely ground handling processes to smooth and easy flow of passengers at the airport, we look forward to fully cooperating with flynas to ensure the success of this new service.”
“The new service has been specifically timed to coincide with the afternoon departure of Etihad Airways’ connecting banks. This provides excellent connections to Etihad Airways’ network eastbound, specifically to Pakistan, India and Far East, increases flynas’ visibility around the world and opens up KSA to a larger number of business and religious travelers,” added Bander Al Mohanna.
In celebration of the occasion, flynas also hosted a gala dinner at Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara, Abu Dhabi, which was attended by senior executives from Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Airports in addition to other government dignitaries and business partners.
The new route will operate every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday – departing Riyadh at 9:35am to land in Abu Dhabi at 12:35pm local time while the return leaves Abu Dhabi at 2:45pm, arriving into Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport at 3:45pm local time.
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