After many months of uncertainty due to the confinement, economic activities in the national territory are now in a moment of gradual recovery. Hotels, inns and vacation rental houses began to reopen their doors and Brazilians gradually decided to travel.
Approximately, 60% of the hotels have already reopened and gradually the occupation begins to return. The biggest movement is in leisure tourism, with emphasis on the country side of São Paulo with 40% occup. and on the coast of state with 30% occupation. “People who have been in home office all this time have been eager to travel and are now looking for short-distance destinations where they can drive to, and mainly, within the state in which they live in. Consequently, we have already had a positive movement in leisure tourism, mainly inland and on the coast.” explains Bruno Omori, President of IDT-CEMA (Institute for Development Tourism, Culture, Sport and Environment).
Quarantine is still in effect in the state of São Paulo, but this suppressed demand has a lot of potential to boost the sector’s come-back. “There is a great possibility for growth even in the State of São Paulo, which is the largest source of tourists to this capital and the second largest to this interior. If in these tourists are looking for regional destinations, then they will increase the demand for the hospitality industry in the coast and country side.” complete Omori. In addition, the sector also begins to work on corporate tourism, with the return of some small events and larger fairs in October.
Also relevant for the in-land tourism is the fact of lot of countries still have in place travel restrictions for Brazilians. Without the possibility to spend summer vacations abroad, lots of Brazilian tourists will choose another destination within the country. “On the other hand, Brazil will also become an interesting option for foreignness due to the strong currency devaluation, which was made the country a cheap holiday destination.
To encourage this first movement of tourists, the National Tourism Council together with the Secretarias de Turismo e Saúde of São Paulo, in addition to the bodies that represent all these sectors, have created a series of protocols for the safety, sanitization and hygiene of homes, including the use PPE (masks, gloves, alcohol gel), distance from check in and restaurant tables, new cleaning created for common areas, breakfast scheduling, individualized meals, buffet with employees and a series of other actions.
Thinking about the future, the president of IDT-CEMA highlights three very important factors to attract people for next summer. First, it is the arrival of the credit promised by the Ministry of Tourism for the end of the sector chain, mainly for small businessmen, so that they have enough working capital to reopen, hire their employees, invest in security measures, in addition to business disclosure. Second, it is the adoption of protocols rigorously so that people feel safe to return to travel. Third is the creativity in developing different promotions with discounts, tours and situations that gives the tourist a unique experience in the chosen destination.
The wine & spirits industry has also a lot of opportunities with the return of tourism. The segment is already in a good moment, with a 72% growth in consumption during this quarantine period. With this favorable scenario, it is time for hotels to take advantage of this new habit of consuming wines at leisure to increase their menu or even increase the supply of labels. During trips, tourists are more relaxed and enjoy every moment of rest, whether for a good glass of wine for a special lunch or dinner or a sparkling wine by the pool. “We believe that lodging facilities are increasingly investing in special wine lists with options that attract customers. We have great potential for growth in this market within hotels.” reports Bruno.
