Risk and perception in the development of Brazil's tourist image facing the sports mega-events

There are a number of attributes in the Western world when referring to Brazil that are stereotypes, some have a positive component as "tropical value", "joy" and "exotic", and others have a negative component as "insecurity","inequality" or "marginalization ". With the upcoming celebration of two sporting massive events such as the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, Brazil is located between the stereotype and reality. The suitability and readiness of the country to the requirements of these events can be the way to mitigate certain stereotypes and risks, and make progress in the sustainable development of tourism in the long term, integrating also the local community in the government's security plans. In this paper we review the impact of the image and safety in the travel decision. Previous experience of visiting the destination has the virtue of reducing the negative stereotypes; this makes the image more realistic, complex and differentiated, enhanced by a proper information management.