2019 promises to be a record for tourism according to the latest figures for Brazil flights . Statistics also show increased demand for holidays in the country. Both domestic and international passengers went up in Q1 this year. The new visa exemptions have already led to a sharp increase in the number of international tourists looking to visit Brazil.
Domestic flights up
Figures released in late April by the Brazilian Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC in Portuguese) point to over 1 million more domestic passengers on Brazil flights. The rise during the first quarter of the year brings the total to 24 million in the three months. This translates to a 4.3% increase on the same period in 2018. In March, passenger traffic went up by 3.4% despite the fact that Easter (one of the busiest periods for Brazilian tourism) was in April this year.
In terms of market share, Gol has the highest with 34.1% of passenger traffic. The company saw demand for its service go up by 3.2% in March. The airline forms part of the hub at Fortaleza Airport along with Air France and KLM. Azul, also operating from Fortaleza Airport, experienced a 20.1% increase for seats in March.
International passengers up
The international market for Brazil flights also went up in Q1 when passenger traffic increased by 10.7%. March saw a similar rise and notched up a total of 801,000 visitors arriving from outside Brazil. Part of the reason behind the uptick lies in the increase in number of flights and seats, up by 13.1% in Q1 this year.
Latam took the lion’s share of the market – this airline accounts for 70.9% of all seats on Brazil flights internationally. The company experienced a 15.3% increase in demand in March. Gol and Azul take second and third place in the market share rankings with 13.6% and 12.5% respectively. Gol experienced the highest rise in demand with a 20.7% increase.
Even more Brazil flights
Earlier this year, the Brazilian government removed visa requirements for Australian, Canadian, Japanese and US citizens as of 17 June. The measure is already reaping rewards. The Brazilian Ministry of Tourism recently released figures from the Amadeus Group, one of the world’s largest technology and travel companies, showing a huge increase in interest in Brazil.
Amadeus reports that demand from Japan for holidays in Brazil went up by 150% for June and 158% for September compared to the same months in 2018. US tourists are also showing more interest with increases of 53% in June and 97% in July. Figures for Canadian and Australian tourists are similar and confirm the strong interest in Brazil.
This increase in demand comes as a natural progression after visa exemptions. “The World Tourism Organisation estimates that facilitating visas can lead to up to 25% more visitors,” said Marcelo Alvaro Antonio, Minster for Tourism. “But we want more and this is the first step towards the strategic opening up of Brazil.”
Demand for Brazil flights looks set to continue to rise throughout this year as more international visitors place the country on their holiday radar. The recent increases in the economy has also led to more Brazilians travelling to destinations within Brazil.
(Source: Brazilian Ministry of Tourism)
