Gilmar Piolla | OPINION
The novel coronavirus pandemic has revealed Foz do Iguaçu's great economic dependence on tourism. We are one of the most impacted cities in the state of Paraná, despite the fact that we are in better conditions compared to other Brazilian cities that are essentially tourist-oriented. Tourism has been and will continue to be our main axis of development. And I strongly believe in its capacity to regenerate itself post-pandemic.
But what can we do in the future to diversify our economic matrix and prevent crises like this from happening again? With a limited territory and few arable areas, agriculture itself is clearly not an alternative. However, we can shelter the intelligence of agribusiness here.
Technology and innovation hub
One of our bets is the consolidation of the technology and innovation hub.
We already have the Itaipu Technological Park installed here. And now we will have the Municipal Innovation Center, an investment by the City Hall in the revitalization of the old Handicraft Center, which will house our startup condominium. We want PTI and Sebrae to join us in managing this venture.
The Municipal Innovation Law (Complementary Law No. 283/2017) is a reality and has already been regulated (Decree No. 27.514/2019), clearly establishing the activities that will be entitled to tax benefits, which includes the reduction of the ISSQN rate from 5% to 2%.
There is also State Law No. 14.895/2005, which guarantees a reduction of up to 80% of ICMS on the import of components for the production of electronics, IT and telecommunications. We have also proposed a federal law to complete the tax incentive policy to promote the sector.
The PTI’s Smart Neighborhood project in Vila A is starting to take shape. Innovation goes hand in hand with disruption. That’s why we’re allowing companies to operate their businesses in the free environment of the sandbox regime. In other words, we have no doubt that we’re on the right track to developing an ecosystem that’s conducive to attracting technology-based companies.
Health hub
Another promising area is healthcare. The long-awaited healthcare services hub has never been so close. Investments in expanding services at the Padre Germano Lauck Municipal Hospital, especially in units focused on combating COVID-19, will be incorporated into the permanent structure.
Considered one of the best hospitals in the interior of Paraná, the Ministro Costa Cavalcanti Hospital, maintained by Itaipu, will undergo extensive renovation, with the expansion of the built area, installation of new beds, acquisition of equipment and hiring of more professionals. It will be even more qualified, with the investment of R$ 65 million that it will receive from Itaipu.
In addition to these investments, there is the new Unimed hospital, which brings together local investors and those from the North of Paraná, and the Day Medical Center building, a private development with almost 30 m2 of built area, designed for medical offices, clinics, laboratories and low-complexity surgical centers. The Day Medical Center is the result of a partnership between WTeixeira Seguros and the renowned Pro Medical Consultoria, responsible for large healthcare projects in Porto Alegre, Campinas, São Paulo, Curitiba, Florianópolis and Belo Horizonte.
These establishments also include beauty clinics, such as that of Dr. Gustavo Capobianco, and dentistry clinics, which already attract a regional foreign public. These services also include the Foz do Iguaçu Tropical Medicine Center and the laboratories of the medical school at Unila – Federal University for Latin American Integration.
We are also keeping an eye on the potential for using the space that belonged to the old Santa Casa. In addition, of course, to the mineral-medicinal potential of the thermal waters of the Guarani Aquifer, the negative ions in the air of the Iguaçu Falls, forest baths, medicinal plants and alternative medicine resources, with potential that has yet to be explored.
Educational hub
Education is the foundation of a better city, of a future with new opportunities for all. The performance of municipal public schools in the Ideb is a source of pride. But what I want to talk about here is our university hub. No medium-sized city in the world has developed without having a good university as a development factor. Before the pandemic, we had 09 higher education institutions and more than 20 undergraduate and graduate students. Our goal is to reach 50 university students by the end of the next decade.
Unila has corrected its initial mistakes and is now emerging as one of the best federal public universities, with 175 masters and 369 doctors. Its courses are highly regarded in the National Student Performance Exam (Enade). Born within Itaipu, the engineering courses at the State University of Western Paraná (Unioeste) are a benchmark for quality. The largest institution in terms of number of students, UDC stands out for offering education from kindergarten to undergraduate and graduate levels. It also dreams of offering a medical course. UniAmérica, on the other hand, with its unique problem-based learning methodology, is a community institution integrated with business demands. With an eye on this regional market, Grupo Positivo established itself in the city when it acquired the COC Semeador school. And more investments are to come.
Duty free shops
The arrival of the pandemic and the consequent closing of borders has triggered the movement to set up duty-free shops in Foz do Iguaçu. Authorized by the Federal Revenue Service in twin border cities, these shops, also known as duty-free shops, will be a draw for regional and domestic tourism. According to current legislation, national and imported products may be sold up to a limit of US$300 per CPF/month for residents and tourists. This limit is added to a quota of US$500 for those crossing the border from Argentina or Paraguay.
At least six stores will be ready and operating by the end of the year and a few dozen are in the study phase, which indicates that the path is irreversible. We will even have factory-owned duty-free stores of major national brands installed here. Highlights so far include the Cell Shop store, measuring 2,000 square meters, in the Catuaí Palladium Shopping Mall; the Liberty Duty Free store in the JL Cataratas Shopping Mall; and the two SKY Duty Free stores at the Airport. I can't say anything else yet.
logistics hub
The privileged geographic location reinforces Foz do Iguaçu's candidacy as a logistics hub for South America, especially for Mercosur and the Andean countries. Our new dry port should be trimodal and not just road-based. With the construction of the Perimetral Leste, the possibility of relocating the current dry port to the entrance of the city opens up, so that it can incorporate rail and waterway transport in the future.
At the same time, with the expansion of the runway at Foz do Iguaçu International Airport, from the current 2.195 to 2.800 meters in length, we are able to house an air hub/spoke here, with connections to the main Brazilian and South American cities, in addition to direct, non-stop connections to the United States (Miami and New York) and European countries (Lisbon and Madrid).
All steps to establish the air hub/spoke have already been taken: expansion of the runway and refurbishment of the airport, negotiation with the Government of Paraná to make the incentive regime authorized by Confaz more flexible, reduction of airport fees by Infraero and coordination with airlines.
Development axes
The Perimetral Highway project will unlock investments in the expansion of our logistics corridor. Areas in the industrial and business district will be valued. Since we took office, we have attracted 36 new companies to the industrial district, which together will generate 885 direct jobs and approximately R$100 million in investments.
Just as the works to duplicate the Rodovia das Cataratas will give us the start we needed to attract investments in expanding attractions, theme parks (Blue Park, Dreams Motor Show and Movie Cars), accommodation, gastronomy and duty-free shops.
The use of the thermal potential of the Guarani Aquifer, together with the new multi-ownership hotel developments (MyMabu, Aquan Prime and Hard Rock Hotel) and the high-end residential condominiums (Village Iguassu, Royal Boulevard Yacht and Majestic Residence) are indicative of a trend, pointing to the loyalty of our public and the growth of second-home tourism in the destination. Take note: we will be a kind of Brazilian “riviera” in five years, the natural and safe refuge for Brazilians and South Americans, a hub of leisure and services.
City that attracts the most investments
In recent years, Foz do Iguaçu has established itself as the Brazilian tourist city that attracts the most public and private investments. The synergy built between the municipal, state and federal governments, Itaipu Binacional, DNIT, DER/PR and Infraero is worthy of recognition. There are approximately R$1 billion in investments, mainly from Itaipu Binacional, that will transform our infrastructure (Second Brazil-Paraguay Bridge, Perimetral Leste, widening of the Rodovia das Cataratas, refurbishment of the passenger terminal and expansion of the airport runway, viaduct on Avenida Costa e Silva, trenches, lighting of the urban stretch of BR-277, paving of streets, drainage works, expansion of Avenida Beira Rio, etc.).
And there are more than R$2 billion in investments planned by the private sector, including the future concession of the Iguaçu National Park; concession of the Convention Center; construction of 2.500 new apartments in the hotel chain (two new hotels of the Viale chain, retrofit of the old Carimã hotel, various expansions, such as the San Juan Eco, a new venture of the Portuguese chain Moov, etc.); houses in luxury condominiums, as previously mentioned; new tourist attractions (phase two of Blue Park, Movie Cars complex, expansion of the Dreams Park Show complex, revitalization of Espaço das Américas, Mercado da Cobal, Parque da Vila A, FozStar Ferris wheel, among others); in addition to investments in health, education, technology and innovation centers and in the industrial and business district.
favorable environment
Many factors contributed to these achievements. The main ones are: 1) the synergy between public and private institutions, especially Itaipu's support for infrastructure projects; 2) the strengthening of organized civil society (Comtur, Codefoz, Observatório Social and the Acelera Foz program); 3) a development agenda with projects designed by the Iguaçu Fund; 4) the positive image of the city generated by marketing campaigns and the exploitation of spontaneous media; and 5) the unification of the departments of Tourism, Industry, Commerce and Strategic Projects, which began to work in partnership with Sebrae-PR, urban planning and other departments to unlock the economic environment.
We still have many challenges to overcome. We need to stay focused and avoid setbacks. Diversifying the economic matrix of a complex city like Foz do Iguaçu is a task that will take at least a decade. It is important that all candidates for mayor commit to continuing this set of actions, which are already producing visible results. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with enthusiasm and passion on this mission, which has been very challenging, but also rewarding and blessed!
*Gilmar Piolla, journalist, is Secretary of Tourism, Industry, Commerce and Strategic Projects of Foz do Iguaçu.
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