Tui’s Hotelbeds targets Brazil growth with new partnerships in 2013

Tui’s Hotelbeds targets Brazil growth with new partnerships in 2013

Inbound sales for Brazil are expected to increase by 47% in 2013, with outbound business forecast to rise by 40%, according to accommodation wholesaler Hotelbeds.

Inbound sales for Brazil are expected to increase by 47% in 2013, with outbound business forecast to rise by 40%, according to accommodation wholesaler Hotelbeds.

The Tui Travel firm is building its local presence and relationships with clients and suppliers from dedicated sales and purchasing offices in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

The company plans to increase its portfolio in Brazil to include 1,900 hotels in the most popular destinations by the end of the year.

Hotelbeds’ statistics reveal that the most popular destinations in Brazil last year were Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Salvador da Bahía, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife and Brasilia.

The Brazilian Tourism Board (Embratur) aims to increase the number of international arrivals from 5.4 million in 2012 to 10 million by 2020 and to expand tourism receipts from $6.5 billion to $15 billion over the same period.

This comes as the country gears up to host the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016.

A large-scale investment in infrastructure and public services is expected to include better hotels, transportation connections, new cruise terminals and event venues.

Hotelbeds’ Americas regional managing director Javier Arévalo said: “Brazil offers some of the most captivating and beautiful destinations. This coupled with the many events that Brazil will be hosting over the next couple of years makes for exciting growth opportunities ahead.

“We are extremely pleased to be expanding our local footprint.”