Península de Maraú- Native fish traps, Camamú Bay (photo Juca Filho)
World's fourth largest airport under construction in Natal in the Northeast. 5 million holiday visitors per year are expected from Europe.
Ho hum. Feeling saturated by the flood of articles about the BOOMING NE Brazil holiday real estate market? I certainly am.
Not, apparently, Scandinavians, Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, Germans and the British. Five or six more published today- published in New Zeland and the UK.....
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1383495
Europeans Buy Brazilian Spot in the Sun
Sep 28, 2007
With the phone ringing nonstop and customers queuing up, Leilo Moreira, a real estate agent in the popular beach town of Porto De Galinhas, cannot cope with the many foreigners wanting to buy their spot along Brazil's sun-drenched, northeastern coast.
"I have only one more beach-front lot available to build, I have more customers than I can deal with," said Moreira, who now gets half of his business from foreigners.
Investors are spending billions of dollars to build second homes for Europeans, fueling an unprecedented real estate boom in what was long seen as Brazil's most backward region. Prices in some areas have increased ten-fold in six years.
What began with a trickle of adventurous foreigners buying property to live the "tropical life" in the early 1990s is turning into a stream of seasonal ocean-hoppers looking for sun, fun and a touch of Brazilian charm.
"It's just marvelous here, a picture book beach and people with this contagious cheerfulness - they make my day," Jose Maria Jubells, a 60-year-old Catalan painter said from his new flat in Fortaleza, where he spends half of the year.
Developers are building at least 80,000 residences for foreigners in the northeast, according to the regional development association ADIT.
"Brazil is making a grand entry onto the European second home market," said Rodrigo Lowndes, executive director of Qualta Resorts, a Spanish group spending 1 billion reais ($538 million) on a complex in Pernambuco state with 4,000 homes.
Sales points include 300-plus days of sunshine, a vibrant culture, year-round warm ocean water, and no hurricanes.
Spaniards, Portuguese and Italians are the main buyers but new charter flights are bringing clients from Scandinavia and from Britain, one of the biggest second home markets.
Rising Prices
Rising prices of second homes in southern Europe were instrumental in putting Brazil on the global real estate radar. A beach house in southern Spain now goes for around 450,000 Euros, three times its equivalent in Brazil, brokers say.
From Caipirinha cocktails to domestic help, the cost of living is between 30 and 60 percent lower than in Europe.
"More Europeans are willing to hop on a plane for 7 hours (from Lisbon to Fortaleza) to improve their lifestyle," said Ruy Rego, of the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht, which is building a 1.5 billion reais resort in Recife targeted mainly at foreigners.
In addition to tennis courts and golf courses, many residence resorts have concierges, security guards, and services to let unused flats.
In Rio Grande do Norte state, the construction boom is causing infrastructure bottlenecks.
"We can't implement all the proposed projects at the same time - roads, water, and permits all take time," said Fernando Fernandes, the state tourism secretary.
The Spanish Sanchez group begins construction in December of a 1 billion Euros complex in the city of Natal, including 20,000 residences, eight hotels, and five golf courses, Fernandes said.
More buildings, traffic, and fences worries some owners.
"The risk is losing the charm we all came here for," said Jean-Marc Panchaud, a Swiss who moved to Porto de Galinhas in 1988 when it was still a sleepy fishing village.
Authorities insist strict zoning and environmental requirements will preserve beaches, mangroves and dunes.
"I think we've learned from bad development projects elsewhere but we need to manage this boom properly if we want it to last," said Jose Antonio Simon of ADIT.
http://www.fairinvestment.co.uk/property-news-New-flights-boost-Brazilian-tourism-18295741.html
New Flights Boost Brazilian Tourism
28/09/2007
The availability of daily flights from Europe to Brazil could help to increase the number of tourists visiting the country.
A spokesperson for Property Frontiers said that most European cities offer flights every day to Brazil and the country is currently building another large airport in the north.
According to the expert, the new airport in the Natal region of the country is expected to bring a further five million visitors to the country each year - a development which could also boost the property market.
"Brazil is becoming increasingly popular with British investors for a number of reasons including its sunny, tropical, year-round climate, low property prices, rapidly expanding tourism industry and relatively stable economy," she remarked.
The relatively low property prices in the country could allow for "room for growth", she said, stating that prices have increased by up to 20 per cent in some areas over the last few years.
A spokesperson for Knight Frank recently said that Brazil has yet to see the same level of development as Dubai or Spain and so offers investors a certain degree of "exclusivity".
http://news.opodo.co.uk/articles/2007-09-27/18296532-Tourism-in.php
Tourism in Brazil 'Growing Fast'
27 September 2007
Tourism in Brazil is going through a phase of rapid growth thanks to substantial government investment, according to emerging real estate company Property Frontiers.
Interest from tourists is traditionally seen as an important supporting factor for real estate industries and a spokesperson for Property Frontiers said this is becoming increasingly evident in Brazil.
'Tourism in the country is increasing rapidly and in the first eight months of 2006, international tourist arrivals experienced a 4.5% growth from the same period of 2005,' she said.
The company representative explained that the Brazilian tourism industry has recently benefited from an injection of over $670m (£331m), much of which has been channelled into the north of the country.
'In the Natal region, the construction of the fourth largest airport in the world is underway and should bring in 5m travellers a year,' she added.
Brazil is accessible from many major European cities, with connections to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo available from London.
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/general-travel/airport-set-to-boost-brazilian-tourism/a-3-143-627/
Airport Set to Boost Brazilian Tourism
Social and exchange rate stability have helped to boost tourism in Brazil.
What's more, the Brazilian government's ongoing Action Programme for the Integrated Development of Tourism (Prodetur) is expected to open up the northern regions of Brazil to holidaymakers and facilitate further expansion in the tourism industry.
More than $670 million (£331 million) has been invested by the Brazilian government in the first phase of Prodetur as it seeks to improve on a tourism growth rate which is already in excess of four per cent.
As part of the project, the world's fourth largest airport is currently under construction in the Natal region of the country - a development which a spokesperson for Property Frontiers believes will greatly increase the number of travellers to the area.
"Daily flights are available from a large number of European cities, and to complement the construction of the world's fourth largest airport in the north, more and more flights are being scheduled to the country," she said.
"As far as Natal is concerned, European tourism levels, mainly from Portugal, Spain, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK, are increasing at a rapid pace."
The spokesperson added that the number of tourists arriving in the country was up by 4.5 per cent in the first eight months of 2006 on 2005 levels.
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/resources/property-news/property-investment-news/brazil-s-property-market-booming/a-2-55-514/
Brazil's Property Market Booming
Brazil is quickly developing a prosperous property market, according to new economic results.
With the largest economy in Latin America and the fifth largest country in the world, the region is benefitting from strong development in the real estate and tourism sectors. Goldman Sachs is predicting that Brazil could be a dominant force in the world economy by 2050.
There has also been a 134 per cent increase in tourist numbers during the period from 2002 to 2005 and the government is working towards increasing annual visitor numbers to around nine million a year – welcome news for those with holiday rentals in the region.
In addition, the ongoing work on the construction on an international airport in the city of Natal is planning a key role in improving access for tourists and developing the local infrastructure.
With its growing economy, Brazil the 5th largest country in the world, is benefiting from a significant expansion of tourism-related property investment.
In 2006, property lending doubled in Brazil and the construction industry is thriving and recently local banks did not offer broad lending to customers but with the stabilisation of Brazil’s economy, they have recognised the opportunity for investment.
An additional 8 million homes are needed throughout Brazil, but it’s not just the residential market that needs to be provided for. Brazil’s tourism sector is soaring as the country is experiencing a large amount of visitors to the country. A 134% increase in tourist numbers occurred between 2002 and 2005. The government is keen to see this expansion continue to a high of 9 million annually and are investing a great deal into the tourism industry and improving the country’s infrastructure.
Sunshine, natural beauty and first-class hospitality have transformed Brazil’s north eastern region into one of the most sought after tourist spots and an opportunity to invest should not be missed.
