Ecotourism Market in Brazil
Having a reputation as having one of the most impressive ecosystems in the world, Brazil is a top destination for adventurous people who are interested in practicing ecotourism. In this article, we will learn more about the ecotourism market in Brazil.
Overview
Brazil has an immense territory of more than 8,5 million km², with almost 7% of it under some type of environmental protection. In Brazil there are 76 national parks, 88 natural biological reserves and 94 areas of environmental protection. This should make up for a large ecotourism market.
However, the Brazilian ecotourism market is still not developed enough, and this could prove to be good for those willing to invest in this market. In fact, according to WWF, which is a worldwide known NGO acting for the protection and conservation of fauna and flora, tourists interested in natural activities spend four times more on their leisure trips than regular tourists, despite staying less time in the visited area.
The government itself acknowledges that there is plenty of room for growth in this sector. It is because of this that a bill called the Fundo de Incentivo à Geração de Emprego no Setor de Ecoturismo, which is Portuguese for Incentive Fund for Job Creation in the Ecotourism Sector, was introduced to the Senate in 2011, but it is still under discussion. This Incentive Fund will finance micro and small companies acting in the ecotourism sector, promote ecotourism in Brazil and support qualification programs for the ecotourism sector workforce.
Market Size
Brazil’s enormous potential to be an ecotourism destination is not translated into big numbers for this market, as it accounted for only USD 515 million in revenue in 2012, while attracting 3,7 million tourists. In fact, its potential is even less inspiring when taking into account that ecotourism had a global revenue of USD 260 billion in 2012, with Brazil being responsible for only 0,027% of this market.
One of the main problems that hinders the Brazilian ecotourism market’s growth is the fact that many ecotourist attractions are located long distances from each other, as well from most conventional touristic attractions such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, for example. Furthermore, the lack of basic structure such as highways - which are not in the best condition - make it even more difficult for tourists to reach attractions.
There are around 2.000 companies operating in this sector in Brazil, divided into hotels, specialized travel agencies and providers of specialized services. This sector is responsible for the creation of around 15.000 direct jobs.
Ecotourism leads the tourism sector in growth globally speaking, growing around 20% every year, while conventional tourism grows 7,5%. This rate is a little less impressive in Brazil, but with a 10% annual growth rate, it is soon expected to takes a much larger part of the world’s share in this market.
Ecotourists
Despite the lack of basic structure, which is a hindrance for stronger growth of ecotourism in Brazil, 21% of foreign tourists - around 1,4 million - coming to Brazil on a leisure trip stated that they chose Brazil because of the options offered in the ecotourism sector, according to a report by the Ministry of Tourism conducted in 2012. For leisure trips, ecotourism only lost out to sun and sea which was preferred by over 64% of all foreign tourists.
Despite Brazil being acknowledged abroad for its ecotourism potential, domestic tourists tend to look considerably less for ecotourist attractions. Brazilians were by far the most important customers of the tourism market in Brazil, as there are more than 45 million domestic tourists in Brazil. Of these domestic tourists, only 5,4% of them pointed that ecotourism was the main motivator of their domestic trip.
Top Destinations
Spread across all Brazilian regions, there are national parks and biological reserves in the mountains, by the sea or in arid regions.
Brazil’s top ecotourist attraction are the Cataratas do Iguaçu, which are various waterfalls that are situated near the city of Iguaçu, in the state of Paraná in the Southern region. According the a study by the Ministry of Tourism, 23% of foreign tourists visiting Brazil on leisure went to see the Cataratas do Iguaçu. Of the foreign tourists that visited the Cataratas do Iguaçu, more than 90% pointed that ecotourism/adventure were the main reasons for their trip. In 2012, more than 600.000 foreign tourists visited them.
The city of Manaus in the Northern Region, is also a top destination. Manaus is at the heart of the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon, which accounts for half of the planet's remaining rainforests. It was the eighth city most visited by foreign tourists in Brazil in 2013.
In the Mid-Western region, the top ecotourist destination is the city of Bonito, which describes itself as the “Capital city of Ecotourism in Brazil”. As the main city for the region of Serra da Bodoquena, the city of Bonito received over BRL 130 million in investment from the government in order to improve its basic structures. The city is also sought for adventure tourism attractions.
The Parque Nacional Marinho de Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 21 islands, 545 km away from the coast of the state of Pernambuco in the Northeastern Region of Brazil. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001, the archipelago is extremely valued in terms of its beaches and clear waters. A special environmental conservation fee is charged to all tourists that go to the island.