More tourists seeking the country's natural side

Those involved with Brazil’s ecotourism trade say vacationers heading for the sprawling country are increasingly opting for holidays that have a distinctively green hue.

The first quarter of 2024 saw Brazil welcome 2.53 million foreign tourists, a figure nearly 10% higher than that of the same period last year, according to Embratur, Brazil’s tourism board. These visitors contributed a record US$ 2.06 billion to the economy. Among the main source markets, Chile, Uruguay, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States registered significant growth in tourist numbers.

And according to the president of MUDA! — The Brazilian Collective for Responsible Tourism — and hotelier Tatiana Paixão even before the pandemic, many international travellers arrived in Brazil looking for different opportunities for ecotourism, drawn by the country’s biodiversity and opportunities for contact with different cultures.

Her feelings are echoed by Polyana de Oliveira, director of Sao Paulo-based DMC Viare Travel.

“International travellers no longer want ready-made packages, group travel, or mass tourism. They seek exclusive experiences, conscious connections with nature, and exchanges with local residents. This change is gradual, but I believe that, as we offer more responsible and sustainable tourism opportunities in Brazil, this demand will continue to grow.”

de Oliveira adds that she founded Viare Travel to transform the “superficial perceptions” foreign tourists often have of Brazil. “We propose to enrich and deepen the understanding of our diverse culture,” says the entrepreneur, who has recently developed an itinerary focused on Afrotourism in collaboration with British agency Black History Studies.

“In my experience, nature is one of the primary reasons travellers come to Brazil,” de Oliveira told Travel Courier about a country many associate with lively Rio de Janeiro, beaches and Latin music. “Even in Rio, many of our travellers look for hikes in the Tijuca forest, or are impressed with the city’s landscape more than anything. Most major cities have skylines, Rio has a mountain-line.”

Notably, she says that most of the beaches in Brazil are very different from what you would find in places like the Caribbean.

“We’re not a country to visit if you want to stay in a resort for the duration of your stay,” she says. “Places like the Green Coast (found in southern Rio de Janeiro and northern São Paulo), have been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for its conservation of culture and nature.”

MUDA! members say a country having the largest expanse of rain forest in the world is ideally suited for ecotourism.

“I would say it’s one of the most interesting countries for nature,” de Oliveira added. “For starters, Brazil is the most biodiverse country in the world, so for those who are interested in things like birdwatching, learning about plant life, marine life and the like, you really can’t go wrong. It’s also a country that is great for travellers who truly want to immerse themselves in nature. In the Brazilian Amazon, there are no self-guided tours, because it takes true local knowledge to walk through the forests. There are canyons and rivers and mountains that many travellers only learn about when we tell them, and they’re blown away once they’re here, because they feel they have never experienced an experience in nature that has felt so ‘real’ and not overdeveloped.”

de Oliveira noted that non-development of some areas is what makes Brazil most interesting for eco-tourism.

“Conservation efforts that can be found both on local and national levels prohibit major developments in some areas with intact natural environments, but allow for limited tourism,” she said. “This can be seen in many parts of the coastline. There is a law that some in (Brazil’s) Congress are trying to pass to privatize beaches, and it’s a law that many Brazilians for the first time in years, have come together so that it is not passed, because our beaches are all public, and this makes access to beaches more democratic, but also, avoids the development of major beach resorts that would tear down natural surroundings — which are what make our beaches so special. On the other end of development though, there is a lot of work being done by travel professionals to guarantee traveler safety on hikes, dives and other adventure travel related experiences and also working with local communities to protagonize tours and experiences. This makes ecotourism in Brazil safer and more enriching than in some other countries on the continent.”

de Oliveira says both the huge Amazon and the Pantanal regions are big draws for eco-tourism enthusiasts, with those opting for the Pantanal often combining their experiences with visits to Bonito, visiting caves and snorkeling, or Chapada dos Guimarães to hike in mountains.

“But we have also seen a big draw to the Lençóis Maranhenses in the northeast — the massive national park covered in dunes and natural water lagoons,” she continued. “We are also seeing more requests for the Green Coast — towns like Paraty and Ilha Grande, as well as more remote beaches, like Ilha de Boipeba, in Bahia. Speaking of Bahia, another top ecotourism destination for international travellers is the Chapada Diamantina, with extraordinary table mountains, waterfalls and fascinating cultural experiences.”

Meanwhile, de Oliveira suggests that North Americans may be lagging behind people in some other parts of the world when it comes to appreciating Brazilian nature.

“I think many Europeans and other travellers from Latin America are seeking ecotourism in Brazil but North Americans have yet to discover or seek out many of these experiences,” she stated. “We are slowly seeing more demand for places like the Amazon and Lençóis Maranhenses from North Americans, but hope to see more of these travellers visiting our natural splendours!”

More information can be found at https://www.viaretravel.com/en/ or visitbrasil.com/en/.