A recent study on preferred accommodation options in Brazil revealed that more and more people choose to stay in hostels, campsites, and houses for rent. Nearly a fifth (17%) of all foreign tourists visiting the country last year opted for one of these alternative places to sleep making these lodging options a significant part on the market.
Hotels maintain the first position with respect to preferred accommodation since 50.6% of international tourists prefer this type of lodging.
"These numbers show that the lodging sector in Brazil has a variety to please everyone," said the president of Embratur, the Brazilian tourist board, Flávio Dino. These data were revealed in the International Tourism Demand Study conducted by the FGV (Getulio Vargas Foundation) on request of the Ministry of Tourism and Embratur.
Other findings of the study show that a leisure tourist visiting Brazil spends around EUR 55.72 on average a day. However, tourists visiting the country for business spend EUR 91 per day.
On the other hand, when planning a trip, tourists are clear. Since 2009, the Internet is the main source of information when planning vacation. One out of three passengers (33.6%) has searched websites for lodging and itineraries. With respect to the ways of planning, 30% plan travels with friends and family, while only 9.9% choose travel agencies.
According to the survey, the best services provided in the country are hospitality, gastronomy, and restaurants. On the other hand, both telecommunication services and roads are those that obtain negative comments by tourists who rated the Brazilian services.
It's certainly true that more young backpacker types on a budget are opting for hostels campstites and houses for rent but this article misses a huge market segment which is that of pousadas.This type of accommodation (which includes independent guesthouses, B&Bs ecolodges and boutique hotels) is growing at a phenomenal rate as independent travellers vote for personality over functionality, authenticity over mass market.