RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – According to a survey by the Rio de Janeiro Hotel Association (ABIH-RJ), overall hotel occupancy rate grew from 35% in June to 60.4% in July.
In cities like Petrópolis in the mountain region, and Conservatória, a district of Valença in the historic Vale do Café, occupancy reached 75%. Other cities also stand out in the ranking, such as Vassouras in Vale do Café, with 70%, Itatiaia in Agulhas Negras, with 55%, Teresópolis and Nova Friburgo, with 50% and 37.5%, respectively.
According to the State Secretariat of Tourism (SETUR), the figures reinforce the search for closer travel due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic, favoring destinations in the state’s inland.
The very cold weather is also a factor favoring winter lovers: in Nova Friburgo thermometers marked 0ºC in the early morning of Tuesday, July 20. In Itatiaia Park in Agulhas Negras, temperatures reached -9.9°C early this month.
In early July, SETUR launched the ‘Férias RJ’ (Rio de Janeiro Vacations) campaign through social networks to promote tourist attractions in Rio’s different municipalities during this period.
“Such initiatives are essential to foster inland tourism and accelerate the sector’s rebound. Always aligned with all the safety that the moment calls for,” said Paulo Michel, president of ABIH-RJ.
Source: Veja Rio