Tourism in Ceará has taken off over the last year, and activity in the sector now stands ahead of Brazil and other states in the Northeast. Ceará tourism grew by 13.3% in the 12 months to June and continued the upward trend initiated in early 2021.
Three quarters of higher growth
The latest figures from the Brazilian Institute of Statistics (IBGE) show the exceptional performance of tourism in Ceará since the beginning of 2021. They reveal that Ceará has registered consistently solid growth over the last three quarters, with 9 months of higher increases in activity than other states in Brazil.
As the graph below shows, activity in the Ceará tourist sector has surpassed that in Brazil this year. In addition, it stands well ahead of its two biggest competitors in Northeast Brazil, Pernambuco and Bahia.
Both these states experienced a sharp uptick in tourist activity during early 2022, ahead of both Brazil and Ceará. However, since then, their levels have fallen below the national average.
Tourism in Ceará up by double-digits in the year
According to the IBGE, Ceará’s tourist sector expanded by 13.3% in the 12 months to June. The figure is on par with the national average. However, it stands well ahead in Northeast Brazil, where tourism in Pernambuco grew by just 2.8%. In Bahia, activity went up by 10.7%.
Ceará is no stranger to setting trends for tourism growth in Brazil. In April this year, it was the only state in the country to register an increase in the services sector.
Same pattern for Ceará since 2019
If we expand the analysis from 2019 to June 2023, Ceará’s figures are even more impressive. In the four-year period, the state’s tourism activity increased by almost 10%, well ahead of the rest of Brazil.
For example, national tourism grew nationally by just 3%, less than a third of the growth for Ceará. Pernambuco registered an increase of 2.9%, while in Bahia, it was even lower at 1.6%.
Tourism back on track
Analysts point out the spectacular recovery of tourism in Brazil since the second half of 2021. Over the two-year period, Ceará saw activity skyrocket by 97%, with Brazil just slightly behind at 90%, mostly on the back of unprecedented demand for staycations from Brazilian holidaymakers.
This year, international tourism has returned to Brazil after a hiatus of almost three years. As a result, foreign visitor figures registered record levels between January and June.
(Source: IBGE)
