A year after beach lovers have restricted their desire to step on the sand or dive into the water, due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the projection of city halls, trade associations and entrepreneurs in cities on the north coast of São Paulo is what summer 2022 will be the best in years.
Many are betting that it will be a season of crowded beaches, hosting service close to full occupancy and tents, kiosks and restaurants in full operation.
The positive expectation is due to the announcement by the municipal administrations that there will be no restrictions on the use of the beaches.
In Ilhabela, merchants were anxious for the arrival of tourists who, according to them, usually come in large numbers after Christmas.
“The expectation is that it will be the best summer in the last ten years. People have been idle for a long time, without leaving the house”, says businessman Rodrigo Pergamo, 31, owner of a pizzeria in the historic center of the city.
There are also those who believe that the rise in foreign currency compared to the real may make people look for destinations in their own country. “The expectation is that the season will be very good. It has everything to be one of the best. With the expensive dollar, the tendency is for people to look for the island”, says Richard Curti, 28, owner of a bar in the same region.
The devaluation of the national currency was also remembered by street vendor Douglas Moreira, 58, as a chain that could bring more tourists to the trendy Ilhabela.
He, who has a tent on Perequê beach and has been working on the streets for 18 years, reports that the city is already showing signs that it is starting to create life again. “We are believing in a very good season. The rise in the dollar and the euro is causing tourism in Brazil to grow a lot”.
If, in the city center, merchants still talk expectantly, on Ilha das Cabras beach, there are those who already notice the improvement in finances, such as a diving school.
“Today we have a lot of demand for appointments, which was difficult even with promotions,” said manager Mauricia Santos, 27.
The report covered some beaches of Ilhabela between the morning and afternoon of December 15th. It was rare to find someone wearing a mask. It was a shy sun, which sometimes hid among clouds.
“I came to relax, enjoy with the family, after the stress of the last year, even more so for me, who lived confined with Covid’s patients”, reported nurse Karina Albano Barbosa, 31, as she placed her 13-year-old children. and 5 years to ride the banana boat at Curral beach.
The couple Eder Nascimento, 26, and Juliana Pierre, 32, also told to take all possible precautions, who spoke with the reporter while walking through the historic center.
“We are afraid, but we are taking precautions. Where we have to wear a mask, we use a mask. We look for the most open places. We got married last week and we came to spend our honeymoon,” said the young man, who is a military man.
When contacted, the municipality of Ilhabela informed that the expectation is for a large influx of visitors. “It is estimated that, this season, we will reach rates very close to pre-pandemic rates,” said the management in a statement.
AT leaf the president of the Ilhabela Commercial Association, Sidney Covas, said that “the formalized hotel chain is waiting for an occupancy rate of 92% to 96%”.
San Sebastian
As well as the commercial sector of Ilhabela, the neighboring São Sebastião also counts the days for the arrival of more tourists looking to enjoy its beaches in summer.
Businessman Renato Consolaro, 37, manager of an inn on the shores of Juquehy beach, reports that all his rooms are occupied until February. With daily rates around R$ 800, he says that, even without fireworks, as announced by the city, tourists should not miss the place.
“People want to have fun. If it doesn’t give 100%, they have 70% fun”, he jokes.
Another person who is looking forward to an unforgettable season is the street vendor Augusto Ramos, 49, who has a stall where he sells drinks and snacks on Boiçucanga beach. “It has everything to be one of the best, for the movement and for what we are feeling.”
At the time of the report’s visit, on December 16, the weather was cloudy, with periods of rain at times. As in Ilhabela, tourists in São Sebastião also did not wear masks.
“We’re afraid of everything, but we have to live. I don’t stick to anyone. I’m against Carnival or parties with a lot of people. It’s not the time,” said tourist Maristela Metidieri, 62, who is a musician.
When contacted, the city of São Sebastião informed that it works with the “possibility that, this summer, hotels, inns and rental houses will have occupancy close to the maximum”.
Caraguatatuba and Ubatuba
In a statement, the city of Caraguatatuba informed that the estimate is that the city will receive around 600 thousand people during the season. “Many hotels and inns are already without beds for New Year’s Eve,” he said in a statement.
The president of the Association of Hotels and Inns of Caraguatatuba, André Frida, reported that the expectation is that it will return to the level before the pandemic, however, the total recovery of the sector should take two to three years to occur.
In turn, the city of Ubatuba informed that the projection is that, “with vaccination and flexibility, even without events promoted by the municipality, the city will receive around 500 thousand people for the turnaround [do ano]”.
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