São Paulo – The city of São Paulo welcomed 15 million tourists in 2014, an all-time high. Approximately 4.5 million, or 30% of the total, visited the metropolis in June and July, the months when the FIFA World Cup was played.
Brazilian tourists accounted for 85% of total visitors, followed by Americans, Argentinians, Germans and Chileans. The domestic tourists that spent the most were from Amazonas state, followed by those from Pará and Bahia, according to São Paulo Turismo (SPTuris), the city hall department responsible for the survey.
The survey also shows Israeli visitors were the youngest: 28% of tourists aged 18 to 21 were nationals of Israel. French tourists made up 295 of all visitors over 50 years old.
Another relevant aspect of the survey is length of stay in the city. Italians stayed the longest, averaging at 11 days. Romanians, who had the shortest stays, remained in São Paulo for one day on average.
The five places in the city that attracted the most tourists were the São Paulo Museum of Art (Masp), Ibirapuera Park, the Municipal Market, Paulista Avenue and the São Paulo Cathedral (Catedral da Sé).
The survey shows no major variations between high and low season, but from March through November, tourism in São Paulo is fuelled by a schedule of fairs, concerts, congresses and conventions.
To the municipal secretary for Tourism Affairs and president of SPTuris, Wilson Poit, “our city is internationally known for its fairs, congresses and conventions schedule. We are the leaders in this industry. Also, for a few years now, we are thriving as a destination for leisure, shopping, entertainment, education and health. This allows the city to sustain good numbers virtually all year round, which is excellent to the entire production chain and the economy in general.”
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum