Brazil blasts "terrible" film

Brazilian tourist bosses have slammed a horror film depicting the South American country as a land full of muggers, kidnappers and organ pillagers as "terrible" as they seek to limit the damage done to its tourist industry's reputation.

Although Brazil's tourist economy is strong, its authorities are keen to downplay its reputation as a hotbed of crime, but the new film will leave them with a long-term public relations battle to convince holidaymakers that the country is a safe place to travel.

Advertised with the tagline, "in a country where anything goes – anything can happen",
Turistas tells the story of a group of young Americans travelling in South America's largest country, seeking the beaches, women and the good times that the nation is famed for.

However, their trip turns sour after a bus crash as they wake up drugged, robbed and facing a tough fight for survival.

"The film is horrible," Jeanine Pires, the president of Brazil's tourist board told the Guardian. "The things it says are terrible. But it is a work of fiction ... one hopes that cinemagoers will be able to differentiate between what is fiction and what is real."

Although the Foreign Office advises vigilance as "levels of crime, including muggings and often involving firearms, are high" it also states that the vast majority of the 156,000 Brits who travel to the country every year have a "trouble-free" stay.