Joseph Walker

Georgia travelers looking to tap into Brazil’s vast natural beauty or economic potential need not fear a lack of Southern hospitality in the South American nation. 

Joseph Walker, an Atlanta native and still a self-proclaimed “Georgia boy,” flew south of the equator four years ago to help business and leisure groups navigate one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

Mr. Walker, 40, is executive director and co-owner of Club Vacations, a Rio de Janeiro-based company that offers travel packages for visitors to Brazil and nearby Argentina.  The company offers more than 500 packages and can also put together custom trips.    

His move to Brazil came after 20 years of visiting the country, where over time he saw all the right ingredients for success in the travel industry.

“I came here because the economy is booming, business is booming,” Mr. Walker told GlobalAtlanta by phone from Rio de Janeiro.  “If you’re looking for a place that is not only beautiful, but has business growth potential, then Brazil is that country.”

Mr. Walker is no newcomer to international travel.  Before moving to Brazil, he was executive director of the United Service Organizations, or USO, in Italy, serving NATO and U.S. troops throughout Europe. 

He’s also a veteran of the U.S. Navy.  He participated in Operation Desert Storm, the U.S. military’s expulsion of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s army from the oil-rich nation of Kuwait in the early 1990s.

Mr. Walker said his time in the military fostered in him a love of travel.  He’s visited 40 countries and worked in 24, and he speaks fluent English, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. 

“It really prepared me for the globalized world,” Mr. Walker said.  His extensive experience dealing with people from various backgrounds has proven invaluable in the tour business, where satisfying customers requires meeting cultural expectations.   

Native Brazilian Ana Claudia Dudley knows that balancing act firsthand.  She has spent nine years in Georgia, first as an English student and later as a businessperson.  She signed on with Club Vacations a few months ago as one of its four U.S. sales representatives, two of whom are in New York. 

The company has 12 employees in Brazil and works with some 75 independent travel consultants all over the world.

Ms. Dudley said her ability to relate to Georgia-based Brazilians and Mr. Walker’s knack for catering to Americans in her homeland makes for an appropriate cross-border partnership.

Having a knowledgeable and trustworthy person on the ground makes the task of selling Brazil to American travelers a little bit easier, especially as Brazil is still fighting to shake the perception that it is an unsafe country.

“It’s a big plus every time I tell them that Joe is there for them 24 hours a day from the time they get there,” she said.

Club Vacations’ marketing goals aren’t confined to Georgia, but Mr. Walker’s home state is the epicenter of his company’s Southeast U.S. efforts. Ms. Dudley is here, and Atlanta’s new Brazilian consulate general is set to open soon.

When it does, travelers will have easy access to visas and diplomatic services.  The consulate will also help awareness about the country spread beyond the state’s large Brazilian community.

“(The consulate) will have a great effect because it will raise the profile of Brazil in the Southeast part of the U.S.  As people learn more about Brazil, they will come,” Mr. Walker said.

And apparently they’ll come more than once.  Mr. Walker said that average first-timers to Brazil return more than five times in their lifetimes.

Mr. Walker said since Brazil is such a large country—with a land mass bigger than that of the contiguous U.S.—travelers come for many different reasons. 

Eco-tourism's popularity is growing.  One natural highlight is Iguazu Falls, which lines parts of the Brazil-Argentina border.  Mr. Walker said the massive system is 10 times larger than North America’s Niagara Falls and boasts 275 individual waterfalls.

Other hot sights and destinations include Brazil’s relaxing beaches, Rio’s famed Christ the Redeemer statue and Salvador de Bahia, a city of more than 2 million that is home to some of South America’s richest African-American heritage sites.  

American sports groups bringing their teams to compete in Brazil are also among Club Vacations’ top customers.

At present, business travel makes up about 20 percent of Club Vacations’ business. 

Ms. Dudley said that as soon as the consulate opens, she will look to begin building partnerships with large companies in Atlanta looking to sell their goods or establish operations in Brazil.

Georgia currently makes up 5 to 10 percent of the company’s North American business.  Mr. Walker wants that to double in the coming years. 

With the consulate here, business is "only going to go up,” he said.