Panel SA: Higher airfare price hinders tourism recovery, says sector

The pent-up demand for travel during school holidays after the pandemic restrictions are encouraging the tourism sector, but the rise in ticket prices, driven by exchange rates and fuel, appears as a concern that could hinder the recovery.

According to Fabio Aguayo, director of CNTur (National Tourism Confederation), fluctuations in flight prices may scare passengers away, harming the recovery of hotels.

He claims that, in Bahia, the performance of bars and restaurants is already close to the level of 2019, while the hotel industry still works with a monthly average of 65% of the occupation prior to the arrival of the coronavirus. The scenario is worse in Paraná, where hotels reach, at most, 60% of the pre-pandemic scenario on busier weekends, according to Aguayo.

For Manoel Linhares, president of Abih (hotel industry association), domestic tourism in Brazil is becoming unfeasible with the current value of tickets. “Today we are depending on three airlines. This worries,” he says.

The president of the Fohb (Forum of Hotel Operators in Brazil), Orlando Souza, says that many tourists are still substituting air travel for car journeys to closer destinations.

with Mariana Grazini e Andressa Motter