From the Newsroom*
São Paulo – Itaipu hydroelectric power plant, in the city of Foz do Iguaçu, in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná, received 647,677 visitors last year. They came from both banks, the Brazilian and Paraguayan. On the Brazilian side, came 479,359 and on the Paraguayan side, 168,318 visitors.
According to a study by the Itaipu Foreign Relations Division, Itaipu Tourist Complex (CTI), the Brazilian bank of the dam received 191,150 Brazilian tourists in 2007 against 183,561 in 2006. The growth was 4.13% and may be explained by the economic growth of Brazil.
In total, however, the number of Brazilians and foreigners who visited Itaipu was lower than in 2007 when compared to 2006: 479,359 last year and 547,559 in 2006. The number of foreign visitors dropped 31.75%.
The reduction in the number of foreign visitors was mainly due to the reduction of tourism from Argentina. The main cause is the appreciation of the Brazilian real against the argentine peso, generating less interest among our Argentine neighbours.
For future visitors, there will be many novelties in coming months. The tourist complex will be revitalised and a new belvedere will be created, shops will be redone and a boat cruise will be developed, among other actions.
*Translated by Mark Ament
