Bars and restaurants ask Lula to return summer time

The Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants (Abrasel) expressed to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) its defense for the resumption of summer time, despite signals given by the government that the measure is not being considered this year. The last time Brazil had daylight saving time was in 2018. The measure was revoked by then president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in 2019, his first year in office.

In a letter delivered this Friday (22) to Lula and also to the vice-president and minister of Development, Geraldo Alckmin, and to the minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, the entity lists benefits that the eventual decision to set the clocks back by one hour would bring to the country’s economy, with emphasis on the sectors of commerce, services and tourism. Bars and restaurants estimate a 10% to 15% increase in revenue, according to a note from Abrasel.

The association’s document highlights that, at a time when its members are still recovering from the losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the implementation of summer time would benefit a sector that provides employment and income for more than 7 million Brazilians with around of 1.5 million enterprises. The text recalls that a special stimulus would be given to tourist enterprises, considering that tourists tend to enjoy destination activities for longer.

“The return of summer time would provide more time of natural light during the day, which favors consumption and customer attendance at establishments, in addition to bringing more movement and safety to cities in general. Furthermore, it would help to save energy and reduce operating costs in companies, even without the risk of shortages”, argues Paulo Solmucci, president of Abrasel.

Businessman Luciano Hang, owner of the Havan store chain, also believes that the measure would bring many benefits to commerce and society, according to a note sent by Abrasel.

“The decision aims not only to save energy, but also contributes to improving the economy, generating development and, consequently, more jobs and income. This extra hour creates opportunities for people to make the most of the day, stimulating leisure tourism and shopping. More than 70 countries also use summer time, which proves its positive influence”, says the businessman.

In a note released this week, the Ministry of Mines and Energy stated that it does not currently see a “need” to adopt daylight saving time in Brazil. At the end of 2022, the then president-elect carried out a poll on Twitter, now X, asking about the return of daylight saving time. Among the 2.3 million participants in the informal survey, 66.2% supported and 33.8% were against.