BRAZIL: Brazil To Feel Greater Hotel Occupancy

Occupation passes 90% in some of the major destinations of the country. Municipalities have also benefited from the Ministry of Tourism investments to improve infrastructure

With Brazilians showing preference to visiting domestic destinations than travelling abroad, the most popular summer tourist spots can boast of more than 90% hotel occupancy rate in 2016. According to the Consumer Survey – Travel Intent, the Ministry of Tourism, 86% of Brazilians who will travel in the coming months will surrender to Brazilian destinations.

In Rio de Janeiro and the Northeast, for example, municipalities benefit from the Ministry of Tourism investments to improve local infrastructure and improve service to tourists. This is the case of Buzios (RJ), where the Hotel Association recorded an occupancy of 90% during the New Year’s Eve and the first week of January, a percentage that will rise to 95% over the summer, according to the Tourism Company of Rio de Janeiro (Turisrio).

Throughout 2014 and 2015, the municipality of Buzios received R $ 487,000 from the Ministry of Tourism for the installation of tourist signboards in the main avenues of the city and highway. The action improved the reception and orientation of tourists on site. “This work was very important to the city because it made the movement of visitors in the city much easier. Prior to this work, there was no signpost, “said Special Secretary of projects and agreements of the town hall, Bob Jordan.

Also according to Turisrio, the region of Penedo / Itatiaia at the foot of the Serra da Mantiqueira, has a forecast of 90% of hotel occupancy and Angra dos Reis 85% for the summer period and carnival.

According to estimates of Ceara Tourism Bureau, the state should receive about 1.05 million tourists in the high season – from December 2015 to February 2016. Hotel occupancy in the three months of high season is expected to be 78.3%. On New Year’s Eve period it was 100%.

With an eye on improving the tourist reception, the state capital, Fortaleza, has benefited from $ 50 million for the revitalization project of Praia do Futuro. The funds come from Prodetur, the Ministry of Tourism program that is funded by international banks such as the IDB. The work, scheduled for the second half of 2016, includes the construction of two sports arenas, two parking lots, landscaping and rehabilitation of two highways.

In Rio Grande do Norte, the Hotel Industry Brazilian Association (ABIH / RN) estimated occupancy of 93% in the capital Natal and 82% in Pipa, one of the most popular beaches in the state. At the beginning of January, the Ministry of Tourism announced the reopening of the Mercado Modelo das Rocas Natal, which received an investment of R $ 5 million from Mtur and City Hall. The urbanization of capital contour Avenue also received R $ 1.462 million of Mtur.

In the capital of Paraiba, João Pessoa, hotels recorded occupancy of more than 90% during the New Year’s Eve, according to the Brazilian Association of Hoteliers of Paraiba, which means 50,000 more people visited the city. In order to improve the local infrastructure, the Ministry of Tourism invested resources on the boardwalk from Tambaú edge, one of the most visited beaches of João Pessoa. The work includes the standardization of the boardwalk and is part of a contract of R $ 1.4 million which also provides for the redevelopment of the waterfront of other sights of the capital such as Cape Blanco, Manaíra and Bessa.

In Salvador (BA), the city with the third largest hotel park in Brazil and 40,000 beds is expected to reach 85% occupancy rate in Carnival. According to ABIH-BA, these rates are due to the favorable foreign exchange rate and requalification of the waterfront and some tourist areas of the city.