An increase in visitors to Brazil last year was spearheaded by British travellers, according to recently released figures.
The Brazilian Ministry of Tourism released the data, showing that 155,548 British nationals visited the South American hotspot last year, an increase of 4 percent on the previous year. The British invasion was part of a record-breaking year for visitors to Brazil, as the country welcomed a total of 5,433,354, a 4.5 percent increase on the previous year.
In addition to Brazil’s dramatic and varied landscapes and tropical climate, visitors are arriving to sample the growing excitement as the country prepares to host a number of major sporting events over the next few years. The first of these is the FIFA Confederations Cup, which will be hosted by a number of Brazilian cities later this month. That competition is seen as a warm up for the 2014 FIFA World Cup that will be staged in Brazil next year, and the 2016 Olympic games that will hit Rio de Janeiro in three years’ time.
Such is the current demand for tourism to Brazil, which is only likely to increase as these events draw closer, that 109 new hotels, resorts and hostels are in the process of construction across the twelve cities that will host next year’s World Cup event. The demand for accommodation in Brazil’s most popular centres has seen hotel prices rise to become among the most expensive in the world, a situation that the government is attempting to address. To this end it has reduced taxes and electricity tariffs for tourism accommodation by 32 percent.
Flavio Dino, the president of the Brazilian Tourist Board, Embratur, commented, ‘The Federal Government is committed to keeping costs down by taking measures including reducing taxes and electricity. We are also urging the private sector to keep prices fair before the major sporting events.’
