BRASILIA — Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism has proposed the implementation of electronic visas by year’s end for tourists from several countries, including Canada.

According to Agência Brasil, Minister of Tourism Marx Beltrão said yesterday that in an effort to boost tourism and generate jobs, e-visas could be issued for tourists from Canada, the U.S., Australia and Japan, with India and China still under consideration. All four of the proposed countries were part of a bill that allowed for 90-day visa exemptions in 2016, ahead of the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Electronic visas would allow the entire process of request, payment, analysis and issuance to be made within 48 hours. Currently, the only way Canadians can get their hands on a visa would be to apply for an appointment online, drop off their passport at a local consulate, then return two to six weeks later to retrieve their passport with Brazilian visa intact.

The Brazilian Tourism Board (Embratur) hinted at the news via Twitter on April 11.

Beltrão also added that the new campaign may include the expansion of Brazil’s regional air network. Noting that one of the biggest challenges to tourism is air connectivity, he hopes that other airlines will explore Brazil’s market and increase competition, which in turn will add more routes and lower prices.