For foreigners, Rio de Janeiro is a good destination for vacation and shopping in Brazil

A survey on international tourism in the state of Rio de Janeiro, carried out by Fecomércio-RJ (Federation of Commerce of Goods, Services, and Tourism of the State of Rio de Janeiro) shows that Rio de Janeiro is a good destination for vacationing and shopping.

The study surveyed 866 foreign tourists, from March 7 to 14, in the departure area of Tom Jobim International Airport.

The sampling respected the proportionality of the tourists’ destination of origin contained in the Tourism Statistical Yearbook 2020, the base year 2019, of the Ministry of Tourism, in relation to the disembarkation in Rio de Janeiro.

The objective of the study was to measure the benefits that a refund program, such as a Tax-Free, can provide to the trade sector of goods, services, and tourism in the State of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to ascertaining “satisfaction” indicators, understanding the “shopping behavior” and the “profile of tourists” who were in Rio de Janeiro.

“The survey reveals a strong and fruitful association between leisure tourism and shopping. It indicates that if Brazil adopts Tax-Free it will generate a significant additional spending cheer, a fundamental factor for the economic process.”

The more tourists come and consume here, the more jobs and income there will be. Another important data from the survey is that Rio scored 9, considering all the positive and negative aspects.

Most foreign tourists say they will promote and recommend our state to friends and relatives.

The survey is an important contribution from Fecomércio RJ to strengthen tourism here”, said Otavio Leite, consultant to the president of Fercomércio-RJ.

Of the foreign tourists interviewed, 48.7% said they had already heard about Tax-Free, and 50.7% had already used the reimbursement program on other trips.

Among those who had already heard about Tax-Free, 27.3% said making purchases is important.

After explaining the Tax-Free program to those who didn’t know about it and those who had already heard about it, 53.7% said it stimulates consumption.
Intention to spend more

According to the survey, 73% think Brazil should adopt the refund program, and 46.2% revealed that they would spend more or buy more with the measure’s adoption.

According to the survey, adopting Tax-Free would further increase the spending of tourists in Brazil.

While the average consumption without the program is US$ 542.9 with purchases for oneself and/or companions, with the implementation, tourists would spend another US$ 665.5 on average.

The executive secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Bento Nunes, said he would take the Tax-Free issue to Minister Daniela Carneiro (Tourism) and encourage discussion in all spheres of the federal government.

“The subject is very important and should be taken to the debate with the Ministry of Finance and the whole government.”

“We will now discuss the fiscal framework and tax reform in the National Congress and, of course, the importance of mechanisms that increase the growth of development, employment, and income is fundamental.”

“We must create together, government and tourism sector entities, a strategy for implementing Tax-Free. Fecomércio RJ has a long history of defending the interests of goods, services, and tourism commerce. Studies like this help understand the demands and needs for constructing more assertive public policies”, he said.

The annual financial movement for the country would be US$ 411.6 million, equivalent to R$ 2.1 billion.

MOTIVATION

The survey reveals that 83.4% of those interviewed come to Rio for tourism, leisure, and sightseeing.

Another 11.3% travel to the state for business. The average length of stay is 10 days, and 48.9% of the tourists stay an average of 8 to 30 days in the state.

LODGING

The IFEC RJ survey shows that hotels (64.4%) and inns (20.7%) are the most used means of lodging by foreign tourists. Properties or rooms rented via digital platforms are in third, with 17.7%.

Among the digital platforms, there was a predominance of Airbnb.

EXPENSES

Regarding costs, 74.5% of Rio de Janeiro is not considered an expensive destination. Most international tourists (60.5%) made purchases during their stay in the state.

According to the survey, the most purchased products are clothes, with 64.1% of preference for foreigners. The expenses for food and drinks to be taken back to their countries had an index of 37.2%.

49.9% of tourists spend from US$ 201 to US$ 1,000 on shopping, with average spending of US$ 542.9.

Being a shopping-friendly destination, if compared to their countries of origin, tourists would spend an average of US$ 786.6 on the same products bought in Rio.

The survey also reveals the main factors that lead foreigners to buy products in Rio: important for the memory of the trip (55.9%), cheaper than in their country (31.5%), and quality (26.1%).