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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N27426546.htm
BRASILIA, Brazil, Nov 27 (Reuters) - President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday he wanted pacifists and environmentalists to visit Brazil to preserve its rain forests.
During the opening of the World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development being held in Brasilia, Lula urged responsible travelers to visit Brazil.
"There is nothing better than knowing that the person taking the plane is a pacifist and an environmentalist and, combining the two, he becomes more than a tourist, he becomes a good tourist," Lula said in an opening speech.
Lula won presidential elections last year after a campaign in which he was known as the candidate of "peace and love."
Tourism in Brazil is paltry considering the vast size of the country -- about the same as continental United States -- and the fact that it is home to the world's largest tropical forest, the Amazon, which attracts relatively few tourists. Lula wants to sharply boost so-called 'eco-tourism' to Brazil.
Most foreigners visit Brazil to enjoy the revelry of its yearly Carnival in the streets of Rio de Janeiro and sit on sandy beaches in the northeast.
But there is a dark side to tourism with many looking for sex, often with underage girls and boys.
In a statement, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan applauded the conference for its effort to develop responsible tourism in poor countries and avoid "tragic child sex tourism, which affects millions of people every year."
STAR Consulting News