Each of the almost 200 countries in the world has its own attractions and unique beauty. Quantifying these and then ranking them is no easy task. But Conde Nast Traveler editors have done their homework and made their verdict. The result? Brazil takes the prize as the most beautiful country in the world.
To find its candidates, Conde Nast Traveler, one of the world’s top travel magazines, used the biannual Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report as its base. The World Economic Forum (WEF) survey ranks 136 countries according to travel and tourism criteria, which range from biodiversity to business travel resources.
Conde Nast then selected the top 30 countries in the WEF report and asked editors for their personal picks. The final list includes some real stunners and as the magazine article introduction says, “get ready to swoon”.
The most beautiful country in the world
Brazil stands at the top of the list and has, Conde Nast reports, “no shortage of grandeur”. This giant country contains a long list of spectacular natural delights.
Highlights for the travel magazine editors include “the incomparable Amazon”, the Fernando de Noronha archipelago in Northeast Brazil, the “blindingly white sand dunes” in Lençóis Maranhenses National Park and Corcovado peak in Rio de Janeiro.
According to Conde Nast, Brazil also ranks as the most beautiful country in the world for its biodiversity, the “greatest in the world”. The WEF agrees: in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017, Brazil takes first place in the 136-country listing for natural resources.
Brazil competitiveness improves
In the WEF 2017 edition, Brazil ranks in 27th place for overall competitiveness, up one position from the previous report published in 2015. Brazil notches up a total score of 4.5 points, 0.9 points behind Spain, the top ranking country.
As well as taking top position for natural resources, Brazil also does well in the ranking for cultural resources and business travel. For both these categories, the country stands in eighth place. The WEF praises Brazil for the improvement in price competitiveness.
Domestic tourism rises in Brazil
Domestic tourism in the most beautiful country in the world is on the rise. According to Ministry of Tourism statistics, the demand for domestic flights rose by 3.8% in July when passenger traffic went up by 4%. Brazilians made some 8.6 million trips in the month.
The latest survey of travel intentions among the population found that 75.4% of Brazilians intend to travel within their own country in the next six months. As tends to be the case in the monthly survey, Northeast Brazil stands out as the preferred destination. Over 47% of those polled expressed their intention to take a holiday in this part of the country before January next year.
Tourism rises in Fortaleza
Within Northeast Brazil, Brazilian holidaymakers have flocked to Fortaleza and Ceará over the summer. In July, Fortaleza Airport received 13% more passengers compared to July 2016 and the number of flights rose by 10%. The figures brought the total number of tourists to over 621,800 in July.
July was also exceptionally good for the hotel industry. Occupation reached 82.2%, up 10.16% on July last year and hotel revenue rose by 14%.
The state of Ceará in Northeast Brazil plays its part in sharing the accolade for the most beautiful country in the world. Beauties include Jericoacoara in the far north of the state with some of the best beaches in Brazil.
Those in other lesser-known parts of the state are also making a name for themselves. For example, Trairi was recently described as “a handful of small towns on the sands that are the last big secret in this relaxed region”.
(source: Conde Nast Traveller, World Economic Forum, brazil.gov.br)
