An eternal favourite among vacationers, Ceará and its capital, Fortaleza, ranked second in Q1 as the most popular holiday destination in Brazil. The first three months of this year saw massive consolidation of the staycation tendency as Brazilians flocked to key holiday spots in their country. Furthermore, the trend looks set to continue throughout the year.
Most popular holiday destinations in Brazil
The Brazilian Tourist Board recently released statistics for the first quarter of this year, and they revealed that staycations reign supreme. Over 80% of Brazilians chose to holiday in their own country between January and March, the high summer season.
Yet again, Northeast Brazil was the overwhelming favourite place, with its seaside cities taking the first four places in the ranking. At the top was the city of Bahia, closely followed by Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará. Maceio and Natal stood in third and fourth places, respectively.
Strong staycation trends
The Q1 statistics also showed substantial growth in tourism compared to the same period last year. 85% of travel agencies in Brazil saw an increase in revenue this year thanks to the uptick in domestic travel.
Moreover, the figures reveal that 71% of holidays taken by Brazilians in the first three months were new reservations. Holidaymakers appear to be making last-minute decisions to travel as their trust and confidence in the tourism sector grows.
Carlos Brito, the Minister of Tourism, reiterates this impression. “We had an amazing summer with the uptake in travel as the recovery of the tourist sector consolidates safely and responsibly,” he said.
More of the same this year
Based on the figures for the first quarter of this year, the staycation trend would appear to be here to stay. “These results underline the strength of our domestic tourism and the growth potential still to come,” said Carlos Brito.
Roberto Haro, President of BRAZTOA echoes this impression. “The scenario shows that pent-up demand for travel continues,” he said. Haro emphasised the position of the luxury holiday sector, one of the niche markets to show the most robust results.
Regional air traffic up 151% in Ceará
Figures for passengers and flights best illustrate why Fortaleza ranks as the second most popular holiday destination in Brazil. Statistics show that regional air traffic in Ceará increased by 151% in the first four months of this year.
The state’s ten regional airports welcomed 118,039 passengers between January and April. Jericoacoara took the lion’s share, confirming the coastal resort as one of Brazil’s top vacation spots.
For its part, Fortaleza Airport continues to return to its usual international flight schedule. Gol recently confirmed that it would resume its weekly flights between Fortaleza and Orlando from October. Three services a week will run and tickets are already on sale. The route to Orlando will return in January next year.
Hotel sector booms in Brazil
The solid figures for staycations in 2021 and so far this year have led to bullish expectations for the tourist sector. According to Statista, Brazilian tourism can look forward to expected revenue of US$8.08 billion this year.
Hotels in Brazil stand to do particularly well within the industry. Statista predicts that their revenue will account for over half and reach US$4.25 billion by the end of this year.
(Source: Brazilian Ministry of Tourism, Statista)
