July has got off to an excellent start for Ceará tourism. The state is expecting upwards of 380,000 visitors this month as well as record spending levels. Occupancy for hotels and holiday lets in Ceará will approach 80% and state tourism authorities predict an excellent holiday season.
Statistics published by the Ceará tourism department, SETUR, point to an increase of 2.6% in tourists for the month of July. The around 380,000 visitors are expected to spend R$907 million, an uptick of 10.6% on the same month last year. Revenue for the state from tourism will total R$1.5 billion in July.
Ceará hotels and holiday lets almost full
Occupancy figures provide a clear indication of just how busy Ceará expects to be during the month of July. Hotels in Fortaleza are so far registering an occupancy of 76%, a figure that will undoubtedly rise since many Brazilians book their holidays at the last minute.
Hotels in other parts of the state register similar rates. Jericoacoara – one of the most popular destinations for a holiday in Ceará – has an occupancy of 75% and Canoa Quebrada, another favourite beach holiday location, 69%.
Holiday lets in Ceará are also booming in July. Figures at the beginning of the month pointed to an occupancy of 75.6% bringing this holiday accommodation option on a par with hotels. Fortaleza was recently voted one of the world’s top ten destinations for family holiday lets on the Airbnb portal. This rating added appeal to Ceará tourism since Fortaleza was the only location in South America on the listing, which included several of the world’s top holiday spots such as Miami.
More flights to Ceará
Fortaleza Airport makes a major contribution to Ceará tourism. To cater for increased demand from Brazilian holidaymakers, the airport has added 13% more flights and 23% more seats in July. Most of the additional flights cater for tourists from cities in southern Brazil such as Sao Paulo where July sees the start of the winter.
Tourism in the north of Ceará has received a further boost after Jericoacoara Airport opened at the end of June. Although small, the airport already operates several weekly flights bringing tourists to some of the best beaches in Northern Brazil. Ceará tourism authorities expect Jericoacoara Airport to increase visitor figures to the state by 7%.
Ceará set for good rest of year
For the state authorities, the figures for July show that Ceará tourism is moving in the right direction. “Our work on promoting the state is clearly on the right track,” said Arialdo Pinho, Secretary of State for Tourism at a press conference presenting the data. Ceará has been present at all the major tourism fairs in Brazil and internationally this year.
The state expects further good visitor figures for the rest of the year, particularly as the strong US dollar has made international travel more expensive for Brazilians. As well as less favourable exchange rates, Brazilian holidaymakers are also affected by the rise in air fares to Europe from Brazil, particularly to Portugal, which celebrates the centenary of Our Lady of Fatima this year.
Economic analysts quoted in Diario do Nordeste believe Ceará will be one of the main Brazilian states to benefit from the rise in staycations. Northeast Brazil is a perennial favourite with Brazilian holidaymakers anyway and the rise in the cost of holidaying abroad will only add to the region’s appeal.
“2017 got off to an excellent start for Ceará tourism with record Carnival visitors and the data for July confirms the trend for the year,” says Dies Poppeliers, Managing Director for BRIC Group. “The figures for holiday lets are particularly interesting as this option starts to take off among Brazilian holidaymakers.”
Take advantage of the boom in the Ceará holiday let market now
An investment company specialising in global real estate opportunities, BRIC Group is currently developing The Coral resort, in Northeast Brazil, a luxury beachfront resort. BRIC Group also offers US real estate investments including turnkey properties in Florida and Houston, and land plots in Florida. BRIC Group has been creating wealth for its clients since 1996 and has offices in Brazil, Dubai (consulting office), Hungary, Spain and the US.
(Sources: Diario do Nordeste, O Globo)
