A Brazilian congressional committee on Thursday approved a bill that aims to boost tourism by eliminating visa requirements for visitors from the United States and four other wealthy countries.

If passed by the full 513-member Chamber of Deputies, the law would ease the way for more tourists from the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Australia, "because their purchasing power is high and because they spend money on tourism," said Congressman Carlos Eduardo Cadoca, the bill's author

Brazil's demand for tourist visas is based on the principle of reciprocity. For Americans traveling to South America's largest country, that means paying a $100 processing fee -- the same amount the U.S. charges Brazilians for a tourist visa.

Cadoca blamed that policy for depressing tourism from the United States, noting that of the nearly 5 million Americans who visited Latin America last year, only some 730,000 came to Brazil.

"From an economic point of view, reciprocity is inefficient," Cadoca said.

No date has been set for a vote on the bill.