Natal highlighted as brazil investment hotspot
Arena das Dunas, Natal Photo: Populous
They may not have been crowned world champions on the pitch but Brazil, hosts of this year's momentous FIFA World Cup 2014, have come out as victorious in a wealth of other ways.
1 million foreign tourists visited the country throughout the month of the World Cup from 203 different countries, according to official figures, surpassing the predicted 600,000 visitors by an additional 67 per cent.
Over 60 per cent of these were first-time visitors to Brazil, spelling positive news for the future of Brazilian tourism, opening the South American country up to a whole new global audience. They also translated into a solid financial impact for Brazil too, with the Economic Research Institute Foundation (FIPE), commissioned by Brazil's Ministry of Tourism, showing an additional $13.5 billion boost to the country's coffers.
The 'Visa Everywhere Travel Report' for the World Cup also revealed a 152 per cent increase in spending, year-on-year, with international travellers spending $188 million on their Visa accounts during the Group Stages. Interestingly, visitors from the Middle East were recorded as spending $2.7 million, 419 per cent more than that of the previous year, even given the fact that they had no team representation in the tournament.
Another interesting financial result from the tournament is the effect on some of the smaller host cities with Natal, in Rio Grande do Norte state, being one such winner. The 'City of the Sun' saw an outstanding increase of 851 per cent in tourist spending during the World Cup, according to the Visa Everywhere Travel Report, marking the city as one to watch for future tourism and growth.
Indeed, TheMoveChannel.com, in ranking all of the countries taking part in the World Cup by their housing markets (considering demand, appeal, accessibility and price), ranked Brazil third, behind only the US and the UK. It is also here that Natal is looking like an attractive prospect, as Dan Johnson from TheMoveChannel.com points out:
“Interest was driven primarily by Rio Grande do Norte, home to Natal, one of the tournament's stadium cities. The northeast region accounted for 44 per cent of Brazil's inquiries in May.”
One example of an investment option for Natal is Costa Azul in the exclusive neighbourhood of Petrópolis, being developed by Ritz Property. This new, exclusive three tower design has 168 two and three bedroom luxury apartments, and offers views towards the Potengi River, the Atlantic Ocean and the Fort of the Three Wise Men.
Andrew Thompson, Group Sales Manager of the developer, comments: "I was always confident that World Cup would do amazing things for Brazil as a country but the results that are beginning to emerge of the true impact of the tournament are even more eye-opening."
"Natal offers a great deal to the switched-on investor," he continues. "3,000 hours of sunshine each year, top tourist spots, affordable property options, and a growing real estate market that offers excellent potential return on investment.
"With so much to offer visitors and investors alike, it is fantastic to see this wonderful South American country taking its much-deserved place in the global spotlight. And with the 2016 Olympics being hosted in Rio de Janeiro too, the future can only get brighter still."