Brazilian tourism invoices US$3.4 billion in August, highest since 2015

The national tourism invoiced R$ 17.6 (US$3.4) billion in August this year, the highest movement of the sector for the month since 2015.

In the accumulated over the past 12 months, there was an increase of 32.9%, according to the monthly survey of the Tourism Council of the Federation of Commerce of Goods, Services, and Tourism of the State of São Paulo (FecomercioSP), based on data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

Among the segments, the highlight was air transport, with annual growth of 72.8%.

In the comparison with the same period of 2019, before the covid-19 pandemic, the sector grew 19.9%.

According to FecomercioSP, the resumption of demand by families for travel and inflation in the sector were factors that drove growth by 30.6% in August.

In the year-to-date, the growth occurred because both families and companies have resumed travel planning and moved the entire chain, to heat up the leisure and corporate segments.

According to the data, even with the 50% increase in airline tickets in one year, sales continue to rise, with the number of passengers carried in August reaching 7.29 million people.

The number is 30% higher than the number recorded in the eighth month of 2021 and is close to the 7.9 million counted in the same period of 2019.

The lodging and food services group was up 23.1%. Land transportation (intercity, interstate, and international buses), tourist trains, and the like recorded 16.8% higher sales.

The other increases were seen in the cultural, recreational, and sporting activities groups (13.3%) and water transportation (16.5%). According to the survey, inflation for tourists rose 24.35% in one year.

The president of the Tourism Council of FecomercioSP, Mariana Aldrigui, said that the positive results are evidence of tourism’s relevance in the family and corporate budget, despite inflation.

“The clear relationship between the availability of resources and travel and events should be taken into account in future state and federal policies so that more jobs and higher tax revenues replace the negative effects of the pandemic,” she said.