RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – American tourists arriving in Brazil must still be photographed and fingerprinted, but those who enter through Rio de Janeiro are getting flowers, jewelry and T-shirts along with the red tape.
"This is our way of saying that Rio de Janeiro loves American tourists, no matter what," said Fuad Atala, spokesman for the Rio de Janeiro tourism board.
"It works," said Eric Tillman, a jazz pianist from New York, who arrived in Rio for vacation Tuesday. "It's very nice."
On Monday, Justice Minister Thomaz Bastos issued an executive order extending the country's policy of photographing and fingerprinting arriving Americans for another 30 days.
The practice began on New Year's Day, with Brazilian officials saying it was "reciprocity" for a similar U.S. program aimed at preventing terrorism.
The federal order did not sit well with Rio, a city that thrives on tourism. Brazil received 660,000 American tourists in 2003 and 60 percent of them arrived in Rio, said Robert Dutra, vice president of the Brazilian Incoming Tour Operators Association (search).
"We decided to give American tourists an especially friendly reception as a way to help counteract effects of this new type of bureaucracy," Dutra said.
On Tuesday, a reception committee of six women greeted Americans as they emerged into the main concourse of Rio's Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport (search). Each tourist received a red rose, a charm bracelet pendant and a T-shirt saying "Rio Loves You."
Roger Christensen, a nurse from Los Angeles, said the reception helped take the edge off the new entry requirements.
"Obviously, it's somewhat offensive to be fingerprinted when you haven't done anything wrong," he said. "But I also understand that it's a response for what is going on in our country."
Fuad said the reception committee was an initiative of both local government and the private sector.
"We will continue this for at least the next three to four days," he said. "There are some who want to make it permanent, even if fingerprinting is eventually overturned, because it has been so successful at inspiring good feelings."
Some Americans have apparently called off trips to Brazil because of the fingerprinting policy.
"Travel agencies that are part of our organization have already registered three cancelations of large tour groups, one for 240 people, another for 350 and another for 400," Dutra said.
In his order, Bastos said a government task force will review the policy and report back within 30 days. The group could recommend continuing, modifying or canceling it altogether.
Brazil's foreign ministry said Tuesday that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (search) asked President Bush to immediately stop fingerprinting and photographing Brazilian visitors to the United States. The two leaders are attending the Americas Summit in Monterrey, Mexico.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox