Three large hotels in Fortaleza have recently opened to meet demand from increased tourism in the city, particularly in the business sector. One hotel is located near the highly successful Ceará Conference Centre and the other two in the vicinity of Praia do Futuro, one of the best beaches in Fortaleza. All three hotels have started the season with high occupancy rates as this latest BRIC Group news piece reports.
The Hotel Ibis managed by the Accor group boasts a prime location within 200 metres of the Ceará Conference Centre and is the only hotel in Fortaleza in the south of the city. With 165 suites plus conference rooms, the primary objective of this new accommodation option is to attract tourists doing business in Fortaleza or attending shows and exhibitions at the Conference Centre.
The Hotel Ibis, whose construction cost R$35 million and includes sustainable measures such as a water recycling system and solar panels, reported high occupancy levels over the New Year and for January and February – the highest season for holidays in Brazil.
Its prime location in easy reach of the Conference Centre should guarantee further high occupation rates. The Ceará Conference Centre had its most successful year in 2015. Revenue reached R$8.05 million, an increase of 4.2 per cent on 2014. The number of events held – ranging from medical congresses and trade fairs to concerts and shows – totalled 126, 13.5 per cent more than during 2014.
The Conference Centre has been key to tourism in Fortaleza and fundamental in maintaining hotel occupancy levels during the low holiday season. Furthermore, spending by business tourists is considerably higher than holidaymakers – R$378 a day compared to R$139. Business tourism accounts for 20 per cent of the total number of visitors to Fortaleza.
One of the best beaches in Fortaleza, Praia do Futuro has just added two new hotels to its choice of accommodation. Gran Mareiro Praia do Futuro is the larger of the two with 270 suites, although this latest hotel in Fortaleza has opted for a ‘soft opening’ and is operating with 160 suites to being with.
In the same area is Croco Beach with 94 suites. This hotel is targeting the family holiday market as well as business tourists. Both of these hotels reported high booking rates over Christmas and the New Year.
Praia do Futuro was completely redeveloped in 2014 with major refurbishment of its seafront promenade, now paved along the entire stretch of the beach. Other improvements included new parking areas and lighting plus a cycle lane.
The redevelopment of one of the main beaches in Fortaleza formed part of the reason that Fortaleza received the award for the ‘best progress in tourist competiveness’ in 2015. At the Competiveness Index awards in which all Brazilian holiday destinations take part, judges highlighted the progress made by Fortaleza in its bid for greater competiveness within the Brazilian market.
“In recent years, we have seen Fortaleza go from strength to strength as a prime tourist destination,” says Dies Poppeliers, Managing Director of BRIC Group. “The World Cup matches celebrated in the city in 2014 really put this part of Brazil on the map and these three new hotels confirm the solidity of the market.”
BRIC Group, specialists in global property investment, offers real estate opportunities in Brazil and the US. These include the development of its own 5* The Coral resort, a lagoon and beach resort in Ceará, Northeast Brazil and turnkey property investments (many with tenants in place and a 2-year rental guarantee) in Houston and Florida in the US.
Sources: SECOVI-CE, Ceará Government
