Brazil tourism bureau mistakenly shares tourist’s post about getting robbed

When a scared tourist in Rio posted about being robbed on holiday, the response from Brazil’s official tourism agency was a little strange.

Brazil’s tourism bureau is expressing regret over a post it mistakenly shared on its official Instagram page that detailed a visiting family’s experience with violent crime in the South American country.

The Brazilian Agency of International Tourism Promotion (Embratur) shared a graphic the tourist had created, which called for people not to visit Rio de Janeiro because of the violence she claims she and her family witnessed while there.

The graphic, which contained a shot of Christ the Redeemer statue, was overlaid with text reading, “Rio is such a beautiful city, but beautiful is not enough,” Fox News reported.

The post, which was originally shared by Instagram user Withlai, went on to describe crimes the tourist allegedly witnessed.

Embratur compartilha post de turista que diz não recomendar o Rio como destino https://t.co/nlHuYgw3WH #G1 pic.twitter.com/RXQazMpb6t

— G1 (@g1) February 5, 2020

“I just spent 3 days in Rio with my family, and in those 3 days my family and I were robbed & my 9-year-old sister witnessed a violent robbery,” it continued.

“I can’t recommend a visit to a city where I felt afraid of even leaving the apartment. Hopefully, things will get better in the future and locals and tourists will be able to enjoy the beauty Rio has to offer.”

Withlai tagged Rio de Janeiro in her post, which was then was re-posted on the tourism board’s Instagram story — a move that the Embratur has since called a mistake.

“The message was shared by mistake,” a spokesperson for the tourism agency said.

The tourist had two experiences with crime in Rio de Janeiro.

“Our agency is working to promote tourism and publicise the drop in violent crime in 2019.”

Brazil is listed under a Level 2 travel advisory by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Travel, which advises Australians to exercise a high degree of caution due to violent crime. “Violent crime, such as mugging, armed robbery and carjacking, is common,” the department advises.

“It occurs more often in large cities and during festivals, such as Carnaval. Don’t go out alone or at night. Avoid isolated areas, including beaches.

“Crime rates are particularly high in shanty towns, or ‘favelas’. Don’t enter favelas, even with a tour group, especially at night.”

Rio is a major travel destination but has a reputation for being dangerous.

Though the murder rate in the country has fallen to its lowest since it began keeping records in 1991, according to the BBC, the violent crime rate — for things such as carjackings and muggings — continues to be high, with Rio de Janeiro state reporting 120,500 muggings last year alone.

Withlai, who was identified as Brazilian native Laiza, said she assumed the accidental re-posting was likely due to someone at the bureau not understanding English very well and thinking the “message was more positive”.

Laiza, who has been living in Germany for the past six years, said she is “very proud of how beautiful” Brazil is. But, she added, she felt it was her “responsibility to be honest about my experiences.”

The Embratur did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission