ON A HIGH
Brazil
These are heady days for Brazilian tourism and agents
should get ready for the fun and games, says Andy Hoskins
BRAZIL Top Selling Tips...
• Go direct...
“Brazil is among only a handful of Latin American countries to benefit from direct, non-stop flights from the UK – they’re with British Airways and TAM”
• Big it up.... “Brazil is a huge country so plan itineraries carefully – a domestic flight from Rio de Janeiro to Manaus takes four hours, and even Rio to Salvador is a two-hour flight”
• Certain types.... “Warn clients from the start that Brazil is not as cheap as it once was but there is still a wide choice of quality accommodation to suit all budgets and client types”
I
f your knowledge of Brazil is sketchy, then now really is the time to acquaint yourself with this
diverse and exuberant country as it prepares for the biggest tourism opportunity in its history. Brazil’s economy is growing quickly, overseas visitor arrivals are increasing and there is widespread investment in tourism infrastructure in the run-up to a prestigious sporting double bill that kicks off in
2014.
“Brazil is going to be the
country on
everyone’s lips in the next few years with the
2014 FIFA World
Cup
and then the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016,” says Abercrombie & Kent’s Louise Mumford. Visitor arrivals are already on the rise, hitting 5.4million in 2011, half-way towards an ambitious target of 10 million visitors a year by 2020. “We have grown above the world average and consolidated an impressive position as a world class tourist
destination,” says Flavio Dino, chairman of Embratur, the Brazilian tourist board. “It is testament to the fact that, despite rocky global economic times, there is a strong appetite for travel to Brazil. We are a leisure destination known for sun and sand but the World Cup and Olympic Games will help to strengthen all aspects of our tourism.” The upshot of Brazil’s renaissance is rising costs for overseas visitors, so if clients are looking to travel during the peak periods of Christmas, New Year and carnival, brace them for a shock.
“Salvador is popular both for its historic charm and colonial architecture”
“Hotel rates in Brazil are rising for several reasons, including insufficient bed stock to meet rising demand,” says Travel 2’s Brian Hawe.
“The World Cup and Olympic Games are also building anticipation of ‘good times ahead’ for the hotel industry and big increases are the unfortunate result of these circumstances.”
Nevertheless, Brazil remains the top selling Latin American country for many UK operators and, with direct flights to Rio and Sao Paulo with British Airways and TAM, it’s the best connected. Furthermore, a host of operators are widening their offering in the country beyond destinations such as Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Buzios (for beach breaks), the Iguazu Falls and the wildlife- rich Amazon rainforest and Pantanal. Almost all first-time visitors to the country will spend a few days in Rio de
Above: Christ the Redeemer, a 20-metre-tall
statue, looms large over Rio; Opposite: Bahian woman in traditional dress in Salvador
www.sellinglonghaul.com • April 2012 65
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