Majority of Brazilian tourists prefer domestic destinations, says survey

A recent survey conducted by travel search platform Kayak revealed that seven out of the ten most popular destinations for Brazilian travelers are located within the country.

Among these destinations, six are coastal cities, reflecting the national preference for beach vacations.

However, São Paulo emerged as the most sought-after domestic destination.

Surprisingly, Lisbon in Portugal topped the list, surpassing São Paulo, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Maceió, Fortaleza, Salvador, and Natal.

The list also included two well-known international options: Orlando and Miami in the United States.

Orlando, with its popular theme parks, appeals to families, while Miami attracts sun-seekers with its vibrant nightlife and shopping opportunities.

Miami experienced the highest growth among the top ten destinations, with a 110% increase in searches compared to previous years.

The survey also revealed that Brazilian travelers tend to start planning their vacations well in advance.

The average planning period for international trips is approximately 12 weeks, while domestic trips are planned around 8 weeks in advance.

Travelers require even more planning for international trips, spending four additional weeks searching for flights and car rentals, as well as three additional weeks searching for accommodations.

Despite the majority of travelers planning vacations in shorter time frames, some Brazilian tourists begin their search up to a year in advance, particularly for holiday periods such as Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Carnaval.

The report also highlighted Carnaval as one of the most popular travel periods for Brazilians.

When it comes to accommodation preferences, Brazilian travelers favor hotels both domestically (60.7%) and internationally (71.2%).

Seasonal rentals and inns are also popular choices, particularly within Brazil.

In terms of hotel ratings, three-star hotels are the most sought after by Brazilian tourists, accounting for 53.9% of searches, while five-star hotels represent a smaller percentage at 3.4%.

Kayak advised travelers to search in advance but also keep an eye out for last-minute discounts.

The platform found that prices for holidays like Carnaval tend to stabilize between 200 and 100 days before departure, with deeper discounts closer to the travel date.

For year-end vacations, prices started high but experienced a rapid drop at the beginning, followed by subsequent increases until around 100 days before the trip when fares fell again.