Brazilian Hospitality Industry Optimistic About Better Carnaval Than 2019

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The appreciation of the dollar against the Brazilian real should favor domestic tourism during Carnaval, attracting more foreigners and encouraging Brazilians to travel within the country.

Sectors such as hotels expect that this year’s occupancy rate of inns and hotels of some of the main Brazilian tourist destinations will be higher than in 2019.

A preliminary survey by the Brazilian Hotel Industry Association (ABIH) shows that in several capitals the number of reservations for the pre-Lent elebrations currently exceeds that of the same period last year.

Although it does not cover the whole country, the data disclosed by the association include some of the main national tourist destinations.

In the Northeast, the hotels of Maceió (AL), Fortaleza (CE) and João Pessoa (PB) are now 75 percent booked, the same rate as in 2019 during the holiday. However, it is expected that by next Friday, February 14th, this rate will increase with the arrival of last-minute travelers and exceed last year’s rate.

In Recife (PE), 95 percent of reservations have already been confirmed, suggesting greater flow. In Natal (RN), the estimate is to rent 90 percent of the total available beds, against the 88 percent achieved in 2019. In Salvador, the region’s main tourist destination, the occupancy should be full.

Also according to the ABIH, the occupation of hotels in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) should also exceed the rate recorded last year. Seventy-four percent of reservations have already been confirmed, which suggests an occupation of at least 90 percent of hotel capacity.

In 2019, the occupation rate in the capital of Rio de Janeiro was 74 percent. Also in the Southeast Region, Belo Horizonte (MG) should achieve an occupation rate of around 80 percent, while in the São Paulo capital, where street carnaval has been growing as a popular attraction, the rate should be 60 percent.

Center West Region

In the Center West, Brasília should reach 32 percent occupancy during the holiday season. In the year of its 60th anniversary, the capital that only a few years ago began to attract Carnival enthusiasts from other cities now has 180 street blocks enrolled to parade.

The secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy expects that the festival will attract 1.2 million people among tourists and residents of the Federal District, generating approximately 20,000 jobs and revenues of some R$240 (US$56) million.

Still in the Center West Region, in Mato Grosso, the demand for bookings also suggests an increase compared to last year. In Mato Grosso do Sul, the largest tourist destination is concentrated far from the capital, Campo Grande.

According to the ABIH, entrepreneurs in the business estimated an occupancy rate of about 95 percent in the Pantanal of southern Mato Grosso and 75 percent in Corumbá – which, in both cases, is a better result than in the same period of 2019.

In the south of the country, Florianópolis signals an occupation rate of approximately 75 percent, while in Paraná, the occupation rate in Foz do Iguaçu and the most visited points of the Paraná coast may reach 85 percent.

In the capital, Curitiba, 54 percent of available beds should be occupied, helping to boost the local economy. In Rio Grande do Sul, the largest flow should be recorded in the Hortências region, which includes Gramado and Canela. Optimistic, the hospitality sector expects to operate at full capacity during Carnaval.

Finally, in the North region, the association stressed the Belém hospitality industry’s expectation, which forecasts 90 percent occupancy.

The optimism of the hospitality sector is based on the results of a survey that the National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC) released on Monday, February 3rd. According to the organization, the set of tourist activities related to carnaval should generate approximately R$8 billion in revenue this year.

Compared to 2019, the figure represents a real increase of only one percent. Nevertheless, it is the highest turnover since 2015. According to the confederation, this is due to the gradual, albeit slow, upturn in economic activity.