The state of Ceará and its capital Fortaleza remain firm Brazilian holiday favourites, ranking among the country’s top destinations. In addition, tourism in the state is booming with record visitor and spending figures.
Two locations in Ceará feature in the Brazilian Top Ten Traveler’s Choice Destinations 2015, compiled the travel portal TripAdvisor. The capital Fortaleza ranks at number ten because of “its attractions for all tastes and ages” as well as its spectacular beaches. In seventh position is Jericoacoara, the world-famous Brazilian beach, some 280km north of Fortaleza, renowned for its sands, dunes and sunsets.
Northeast Brazil remains a firm favourite among Brazilian holidaymakers. In the February edition of the monthly consumer survey published by the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism, 45.1 per cent of holidaymakers state that the northeast is their intended holiday destination over the next six months. The southeast of the country lags in second place with just 25.6 per cent of travellers planning to visit.
Although a favourite with Brazilians for years, Ceará entered the world tourism radar last year when several World Cup football matches were held in Fortaleza. This spell under the spotlight has more than paid dividends with Ceará receiving record numbers of tourists and the highest ever levels of spending.
In the state’s high season (December to February), more than 1 million tourists chose Ceará as their holiday destination. This figure represents a 5.37 per cent increase on the previous year and international visitors rose by 9.55 per cent. Holidaymakers from Sao Paulo made up the largest group of Brazilian visitors, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of the total. Among the foreign visitors, Italians and Portuguese tourists comprised the biggest groups (21.3 and 17.3 per cent respectively).
Tourist spending figures are even more spectacular, increasing by nearly 24 per cent over the high season months. The average amount spent per head reached R$2,058, up 17 per cent on the previous year.
The majority of visitors chose to stay in Fortaleza while 20 per cent travelled beyond the capital to the state’s spectacular coastline. Beach destinations such as Canoa Quebrada, Cumbuco and Jericoacoara were among the favourite holiday choices.
Carnival season was particularly good for tourism in Ceará. Hotel occupation reached 92 per cent in the capital, a 7.2 per cent increase on 2014 and in total, some 99,000 tourists visited the area.
Source: Brazilian Ministry of Tourism, Opovo
