By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Ministry of Tourism (MTur) forecasts Brazilians will make 3.24 million domestic trips during the extended holiday weekend between October 11th and 15th. They also predict an economic impact of R$6.7 billion at the destinations visited.
The Dia de Nossa Senhora Aparecida (Day of Our Lady Aparecida) is celebrated on October 12th and is considered a national holiday in Brazil, honoring the patroness of the country. The Dia de Nossa Senhora Aparecida was officially instituted in 1980.
In addition to honoring the patroness of Brazil, this Friday is also celebrated in the country as Dia da Criança (Children’s Day). The holiday is also extended until Monday (October 15th), with the commemoration of the Dia do Professor (Teacher’s Day).
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the most sought after destinations are Porto Seguro (BA), Natal (RN), Fortaleza (CE) and Balneário Camboriú (SC).
The airports of the Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company (Infraero) with scheduled commercial flights are expected to increase by two percent, and aircraft circulation by six percent during the holiday weekend.
According to the Infraero’s estimate, between October 11th and 15th, the 47 airports are expected to receive 1.07 million travelers, including shipments and landings, and a total of 9,200 flights between landings and departures.
The numbers, in the same period last year, were 1.05 million passengers and 8,700 flights, taking into account the movement between Thursday and Monday.
Dia de Nossa Senhora Aparecida is the fourth extended holiday of the year, after Labor Day, Corpus Christi – the with the second highest spending and travel – and the 7th of September (Brazil’s Independence Day).
The estimated MTur is that the seven extended holidays of 2018 result in 13.9 million trips and inject R$28.84 billion in the economy. The calculation does not include Holy Week or Carnival, since they are already prolonged.