RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Covid-19 pandemic has opened up a new immigration destination from Brazil to Portugal: the hinterland. Without the pressure of real estate speculation and lack of jobs, more and more Brazilians are discovering the potential for ample space to work and live with better quality and less cost in the heart of Portugal.
Globo traveled through some of these small depopulated oases that are developing economic strategies to attract and retain entrepreneurs and professionals as part of a new plan by the Portuguese government to attack the country’s chronic demographic problem and assist the post-pandemic economic rebound.
In the municipality of Castelo Branco, capital of the administrative district with the same name where the towns of Fundão, Idanha-A-Nova and Covilhã are also located, Brazilian residents account for 25% of foreigners registered with the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF).
They grew from 711 in 2015 to 1,400 in 2019, an increase of 107%, but the figure is higher because the statistics do not include people with Portuguese citizenship or waiting for the documents to be issued.