Come to Rio, get robbed: Brazil tourism body shares awkward Instagram
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[February 07, 2020]
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - When
marketing Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's national tourism agency typically
focuses on the city's world-class beaches, samba-filled music scene and
caipirinha-fueled parties. Violent crime is rarely listed among the
attractions.
But in an embarrassing social media snafu this week, the Brazilian
Tourist Board (Embratur) accidentally shared a critical Instagram post
from a tourist who did not enjoy her stay in the so-called "Cidade
Maravilhosa," or Marvelous City.
"I just spent 3 days in Rio with my family, and in those 3 days my
family and I were robbed and my 9-year-old sister witnessed a violent
robbery," Instagram user "withlai" wrote in an Instagram Stories post.
"I can't recommend a visit to a city where I felt afraid of even leaving
the apartment."
Embratur deleted the shared post on Wednesday. It said in a subsequent
statement that "sharing (the post) was a mistake," adding that it had
worked hard to promote a nationwide fall in crime in 2019.
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Safety concerns along with inconvenient flights, poor infrastructure
and high costs have long held back Brazil's tourism industry, which
lags its South American neighbors.
As news of the mistake went viral, withlai, who identified herself
as a Brazilian living in Europe, said in another Instagram post that
she hoped "the person (at Embratur) doesn't get in trouble, we all
make mistakes."

And she defended her original post.
"If I don't feel safe or comfortable somewhere, I'll share it," she
said.
(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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