Embratur and partner exhibitors worked during the International Tourism Fair (Fitur), in Madrid, Spain, to expand air connectivity with the European country, increasing the presence of tourists from abroad in national destinations. Among the objectives was to redo the connections that had been implemented in 2019 -Madrid-Fortaleza and Madrid-Recife- and increase frequencies in existing connections that do not yet have a daily offer, such as Madrid-Rio de Janeiro and Madrid-Salvador. The scenario is favorable and, from January to October of this year, the forecast is 482,703 seats on Iberia, Latam and Air Europa flights. This is 12.9% more than the same period last year.
During Fitur, held between Wednesday (24th) and Sunday (28th), Embratur met with the companies Iberia, Air Europa, Plus Ultra and Neos. The Spanish Iberia has already announced that it intends to exceed pre-pandemic levels in seats offered and will increase its capacity by 17%, with 3.1 million seats on the Barajas (Madrid)-Latin America route. There will be 328 weekly flights between April and October 2024. In 2023, there were 280 flights and the mark was already a record for the company.
In total, Iberia's increase will mean three more weekly flights to Rio and São Paulo, adding six and ten weekly frequencies, respectively. With the company, Embratur intends to maintain the Rio operation with six frequencies and open new destinations in Fortaleza (CE), where Latam has a hub, and in Manaus (AM), where there are no direct flights to Europe and for a long time. Freight transport.
In the case of Air Europa, the intention is to increase the number of flights in Salvador (BA) from one to two times a week, resume connections with Recife and Fortaleza, launch flights to Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and Foz do Iguaçu (PR ). ) and, together with Latam, open Madrid-Fortaleza flights. It is important to highlight that each direct flight between Spain and the Northeast avoids the emission of 38 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
At Fitur were the Portuguese airline TAP and the Brazilian airlines Latam, Azul and Gol, as co-exhibitors of Embratur, with whom they negotiated to advance the definitions of renewal of Airpass products.
Spanish connection
The current market share in number of seats on Spain-Brazil flights is held by Latam with 35% of the offer, followed by Iberia and Air Europa, with 32% each. There are four direct routes with 32 weekly flights. By state, São Paulo receives the majority of connections, 79%; Second place is occupied by Rio de Janeiro, with 17%, and Bahia with 4%, according to the Embratur Data Portal.
As highlighted by the president of the Agency, Marcelo Freixo, the connection is an important step to attract international tourists to Brazil. “And that's what we've been working on. In 2023 we will reach pre-pandemic levels and, now, we want to exceed the ceiling of the 6 million international tourists we receive per year. This is important because tourism is the economy of the future and can grow much more. With the increase in these visits, we will have an injection of money, development of municipalities and communities, and generation of jobs and income, which will improve the lives of Brazilians,” he states.
Airports and destinations
Spain also plays an important role in the operation of the airports of Recife (PE), Juazeiro do Norte (CE), João Pessoa (PB), Campina Grande (PB), Aracaju (SE) and Maceió (AL), which are in charge of the Spanish airport AENA. In August of last year, the company won the auction for the block of 11 airports anchored in Congonhas, which will make it the largest concessionaire in the aviation sector in Brazil.
For the Spanish tourist, Embratur considers four strategic destinations: sun and beach, ecotourism and adventure tourism, gastronomy and culture. In the first case, the main destinations are the Discovery Coast, in Trancoso (Safe Port, in Bay), the Green Coast with Paraty (RJ), Angra (RJ), Ilha Grande (RJ), São Sebastião (SP), Broken Emotions (CE, PI and MA), Broken Fallacies (CE and RN) and Fernando de Noronha (PE).
In the case of ecotourism and adventure tourism, the destinations are Foz do Iguaçu (PR), Pantanal (MT and MS), Bonito (MS), Rota das Emoções, High Forest (MT), Alter do Chão (PA) and Manaus ( I AM). Gastronomy is with Rio de Janeiro (RJ), São Paulo (SP), El Salvador (BA), Paraty (RJ), Belo Horizonte (MG), Belém (PA) and Maceió (AL), and culture, with Rio de Janeiro (AL). Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraty, Salvador, Bethlehem, Historic Cities of Minas Gerais, Inhotim (MG), Recife (PE) and Olinda (PE).