Ugh... Brazil tourist visa rejected for weekend mileage run
Lovely. The Brazilian Consulate of SF has rejected my tourist visa for a quick weekend mileage run / mini-vacation to Rio in September (down on Friday night, back on Sunday night). Their explanation: they think its a business trip.
First of all, ...!?! Why do they care? At the risk of sounding like a an arrogant American, shouldn't they be happy to get any American dollars they can get into their economy??
Has anyone run into a similar situation on a mileage run or vacation to a country that requires a visa for US citizens? Any recommendations? I'm currently composing a letter asking the consulate to reconsider and basically explaining the situation, but I don't know if it will help.
Any thoughts / advice would be greatly appreciated.