The new destinations of Brazilian tourists – 07/09/2023 – Tourism

With the dollar still expensive and the high season in Europe that seems to have no end, many Brazilians are already looking for alternative destinations for their holidays. According to the vice president of sales for Qatar Airways in Latin America, Craig Thomas, the company that connects Brazil to Qatar, in the Middle East —and from there to the whole world—, has seen an increase in the interest of Brazilians in visiting destinations not so traditional.

“When Indonesia reopened after the pandemic, we saw many Brazilians wanting to go there. Many surfers, mainly, in search of adventures. We feel that Brazilians are much more aware of non-traditional destinations”, says Thomas in an interview with Sheet. “The Maldives Islands, Africa in general, the Seychelles Islands, the Middle East countries… They are not traditional destinations for Brazilians, but they are becoming more and more popular as people talk to each other and look for opportunities most unique trips.”

Japan, which recently negotiated a visa waiver with Brazil, is also among the most visited by Brazilians flying with Qatar, alongside China, Egypt (which recently gained a direct flight from São Paulo) and Australia ( which has also just gained a new link with Latin America).

Brazilians’ willingness to travel is leading Qatar Airways to reinforce its presence in the country. In addition to the current two daily flights between Guarulhos and Doha, from 2024 the company should add a third daily frequency to the route, which will extend to Buenos Aires. The new flight was scheduled for December, but was postponed to 2024 (still no set date), according to the executive, for operational reasons.

The connection between São Paulo and Buenos Aires is among the busiest international routes in the world, with more than 2,500 flights and more than 670,000 passengers a year. In addition to the national airlines of both countries (Gol, Latam and Aerolíneas Argentinas), four other foreign companies (Air Canada, Ethiopian, Swiss and Turkish) also operate the route per year, allowing Brazilians to fly executive without spending a fortune. The new Qatar flight will also bring QSuites, Qatar’s award-winning business class, to the route.

“Our occupancy is always between 90% and 100%, with very positive signs of future demand, which gives us a lot of confidence to introduce new frequencies to Brazil in 2024. It is a market with a favorable operating environment and a government that is very favorable to our expansion plans”, says Thomas. “I think this is proof that Brazil is considered a friendly country for traveling and doing business.”

The expansion plans of Qatar’s operations in Brazil, however, are restricted to the capital of São Paulo. When asked about the possibility of the company flying to Galeão airport, in Rio de Janeiro (an idea that has already been considered by the company in the past), the executive brushes it off.

“The focus of our expansion has been to add capacity to routes where we see continued and sustainable demand. But our network planners are always looking and evaluating new routes and opportunities for us, such as the connection between São Paulo and Buenos Aires.”