Tourism in São Paulo up 21.8% in May, but recovery is still slow

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Tourism in São Paulo posted 21.8% growth in May, the first increase in 2021, the Federation of Trade in Goods, Services and Tourism of the State of São Paulo (FecomercioSP) said.

The São Paulo capital’s Monthly Tourism Activity Index (Imat-SP) released on Monday (12) reached 46.9 points in May, compared to 38.9 in April, a figure pointing to the sector’s economic growth after continuous declines in sales, jobs and passenger flow.

Although the data call for optimism, current tourism activity is still 20% below the level recorded at the end of last year and 53% below the pre-pandemic level.

The gradual reopening of the economy in São Paulo and the acceleration of the vaccination campaign, albeit at a slower pace than expected, contributed to the Imat increase in May.

With the more favorable scenario, consumers and entrepreneurs start looking for trips, renting venues for events and other activities in the sector, point out FecomercioSP and SPTuris, responsible for the index.

Passenger traffic at airports was the indicator growing the most in São Paulo tourism, with an increase of 42.5% over April. Soon after came bus station traffic, up 35.7%, followed by hotel occupancy, which rose from 19% to 32%.

Tourism companies’ sales increased 11.6% in the month. On the other hand, job creation in the sector remained stable, with a positive variation of only 0.2%.

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