A recent survey among Brazilian tourists reveals two strong trends for the travel sector in 2021. Almost all holidaymakers are looking for quiet destinations and a considerable percentage prefer to go on holiday outside high season. In January, Brazilian tourism registered its seventh consecutive monthly increase and since May 2020, the sector has grown by over 122%.
Quiet destinations without the crowds
The latest survey from Booking.com asked Brazilians about their holiday preferences this year. At the top of their priorities were quieter destinations with no crowds. A full 91% of tourists are actively searching for less busy places to spend a holiday.
The figure confirms the tendency seen throughout the second half of 2020. Holiday spots in natural surroundings and quieter beach resorts saw an influx of visitors while traditionally popular destinations experienced a marked drop in tourists.
This was apparent in Ceará, for example, where the capital Fortaleza registered much lower levels of occupancy than quieter coastal areas. However, the beach resort at Flecheiras saw a huge surge in interest in the latter half of last year with the corresponding increase in occupancy in both hotels and self-catering accommodation.
Recommended responsible tourism
The Brazilian Ministry of Tourism recommends holidaying in less crowded parts of the country in its campaign to encourage safe tourism in Brazil. Destinations in the country that meet this criteria plus others laid out by the Ministry receive the Responsible Tourism Stamp.
In the survey, 83% of respondents said they were looking for destinations with less risk of contracting Covid-19. Numerous establishments across Brazil have received the Responsible Tourism Stamp as well as the WTTC Safe Travels Seal. They include the state of Ceará in Northeast Brazil.
Low season Brazilian tourism
Another strong trend for 2021 is to vacation outside high season. Almost 70% of Brazilian tourists claim that they will take their holidays in low season this year avoiding the summer months of December and January as well as long weekends in September and October.
The desire to visit quieter destinations and out of season isn’t new, but the pandemic has accentuated the trend. Booking.com reports that in 2019, 59% of Brazilian tourists were looking for holiday locations without the crowds and 52% planned to vacation outside high season.
Brazilian tourism up in January
Meanwhile, the travel sector continues to recover ground lost during the second quarter of 2020. According to the latest figures issued by the Ministry of Tourism, Brazilian tourism went up in January for the seventh month in a row.
Between May 2020 and January 2021, activity in the sector grew by 122.8%, indicating the strength of domestic tourism. January saw a particularly high rise in air traffic, which went up by 11.1%.
While travel restrictions remain in place for international tourists, Brazil will continue to depend on the staycation sector to sustain the travel industry. Quieter destinations in natural surroundings will benefit from the latest trends, which look set to stay beyond the pandemic.
