RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Despite the high level, tourism revenues have not reached pre-pandemic levels.
Tourism in Brazil recorded revenues of R$13.2 (US$2.75) billion in February – a 17.8% increase compared to the same month in 2021, according to data from FecomercioSP, based on information from IBGE.
Despite the high level, the figure has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. The balance is negative at 15.7%, a decrease of almost R$2.5 billion.
Air transport accounted for R$3.6 billion of the total. However, it is still 22.7% below the pre-pandemic level.
Another highlight was the accommodation and catering sector, which achieved the best result in the survey. In February, it billed R$3.9 billion.
Land transport – which includes intercity, long-distance and international buses, and tourist trains and similar means of transport – registered a 7.9% increase compared to the same month in 202It it is close to pre-pandemic lev, unlike other sector sells: it is only 0.6% lower.
Fecomercio-SP believes that the sector should become even stronger in the coming months, as it represents an alternative to air transport in the face of rising fares.
Despite the positive result in February, the association points out that national tourism is facing “the challenges of the economy, inflation, and high-interest rates.”
Mariana Aldrigui, president of the FecomercioSP Tourism Council, says it will take months, perhaps years, for the sector to register the same volume of funds spent as in 2019 and 2014, “the two best years of the last decade.”
THIRD MONTH OF DEFLATIIn March, tourism-related services recorded deflation of 0.62%, the third consecutive decline in average prices. In the cumulative 12 months, it increased from 13% to 14%.
The main culprit was airfares, which fell by 7.33%. “It is known that oil prices have skyrocketed as a result of the war in Ukraine, which affects the cost of aircraft kerosene. [Thus, Brazilian airlines have increased the value of their tickets,” FecomercioSP said.
The association also dismisses that overall tourism inflation would have been positive, at 0.87%, if airfare costs had been excluded. “Costs and prices in areas not related to airline tickets are rising, hurting consumers and business people.”
The positive change highlighted the car rental segment, which reached a monthly high of 6.48% and increased by 18.35% in 18 months. It is followed by the accommodation item, which increased by 1.71%.