BRAZIL. Travel data analyst ForwardKeys has revealed new flight data for the international and domestic markets in Brazil which it said underlines the importance of destination marketing and source market promotions.
Data for international arrivals by air in Q1 for tickets purchased up to 7 January are -54% down compared to the same period in 2019. The top three most resilient markets are Portugal (+40%), Spain (+4%) and the US (-6%).
Rio Grande do Norte, a state on Brazil’s far north-eastern tip, was a key destination for US international arrivals in the first quarter, recording +71% above pre-pandemic levels as of 7 January.
Bruno Reis, Chairman of Emprotur Brazil, a ForwardKeys partner which promotes Rio Grande do Norte as a tourist destination, said: “Emprotur has always been in contact with DMCs [destination management companies] and tour operators from Europe, especially Portugal. But, since the moment we received the news about the resumption of the route connecting our state to Lisbon, we doubled our efforts.
“It’s almost a one-to-one project with tour operators in Portugal and Spain to design the best strategies to attract travellers to our destinations. Essentially, this involves a strong relationship with tour operators and tactical co-op marketing campaigns to lift the awareness further.”
According to another recent study by ForwardKeys for Q1 2022 examining the most resilient destinations in Latin America for international arrivals, Brazil is placed at number five.
ForwardKeys Head of Market Intelligence Juan Gomez said: “Destinations like Ecuador and Colombia have only fared better only due to their open borders and tourist-friendly policies unlike the tighter restrictions in the rest of South America, including Brazil.”
With COVID-19 case numbers rising in Brazil, ForwardKeys warned that the tourism industry is going to rely heavily on domestic travellers for a large part of 2022.
Tickets confirmed for domestic arrivals across Brazil for Q1 booked up to 7 January were down by just -3%, with Rio Grande Do Norte again standing out with a result of +41% against 2019.
