The Brazilian Ministry of Tourism asked 39,000 international tourists travelling to Brazil to participate in a survey, which has revealed that both leisure and business tourism was on the increase in Brazil.  Not only are these sectors increasing but the overall satisfaction with a trip to Brazil has also gone up, with 96% of all tourists already planning to return. Brazil’s beautiful destinations are not the only reason for high visitor satisfaction with hospitality (98%), gastronomy (96%), restaurants (95%) and hotels (94%) all scoring highly in the survey.

Flávio Dino, the President of Embratur, who partnered with the Ministry of Tourism on the survey, stated “We are a leisure destination known for sun and sand, however the forthcoming FIFA 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games will help to strengthen our offering in other aspects of tourism. The sporting events give Brazil the opportunity to enhance the qualities that tourists love about Brazil but also broaden awareness of other areas throughout the country.  For example we are proud to note that tourist’s opinions on safety has scored well and improved in recent years.”

According to the survey results, which have been released to coincide with WTM 2011, the Internet is the main source of information about tourism in Brazil.
“For tourists travelling to Brazil the key logistical aspects, such as transport and accommodation, are decided and booked through the Internet,” stated Flávio Dino.

“However personal recommendation still continues to be an important deciding factor both on and offline with 28.4% of people stating that they ask relatives and friends for their opinion when choosing where to go. Websites remain vitally important to potential tourists to Brazil.”

DESTINATIONS

Leisure remains the main reason for travel to Brazil (46.1%) however there has been a distinct shift away from traditionally popular tourist areas within Brazil. While the leading tourist destinations in Brazil maintained their strong position, new destinations have been increasingly gaining popularity. Parati’s (Rio de Janeiro) popularity grew by 37% since 2004, whilst Cairu (Bahia) has become 64% popular.

The most visited cities are: Rio de Janeiro, Foz do Iguaçu, Florianópolis, São Paulo, Búzios, and Salvador.  Florianópolis has shown the most significant increase with preference growing as a destination of choice by 55% between 2004 and 2010.

Over half of the interviewees (60.2%) said that the traditional combination of sun and sand continues to be preferred when it comes to holiday travel. Nature, ecotourism and adventure are the main reasons for travel for 26.9% of respondants, with a growth of 7.6% from 2005 to 2010.

Business travel is continuing to increase with 23.3% of those interviewed travelling to Brazil for business, events and conventions.  Southern Brazil is a key developing area for the business traveller, where Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná, after Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, are the States which receive most foreign visitors for that purpose.

Key Facts

·      The number of international visitors during 2011 is expected to reach 5.4 million by December
·      31% of tourists to Brazil are European - on average they each spend USD 1,614 and stay for 24.3 days
·      The total number of UK visitors to Brazil in 2010 was 167,355 and the UK ranks 11th in the highest number of visitors to Brazil globally
·      December to February are the months of high season for international tourism
·      British Airways recently increased its services to Brazil by doubling its weekly frequency to Rio de Janeiro from three to six flights to reflect the growing consumer demand