São Paulo – In the sky, gigantic and colourful balloons. On land, beautiful beaches and exuberant nature. That is Torres, a city with 35,000 inhabitants that has been hosting the International Balloon Festival for 23 years, an event that attracts 200,000 Brazilian and foreign tourists. "This is one of the only balloon events in the world that has been taking place for so many years and without interruption," said Bruno Schwart, owner of Air Show, the company responsible for technical organisation of the festival.
For the next edition of the festival, to take place from April 20 to 24, 2011, 40 pilots from several countries like France, the Netherlands, England, Switzerland, the United States, Chile and Argentina have already confirmed presence. "Today, the festival is a highly traditional event that has made Torres the Brazilian ballooning capital. It is the most important event in Latin America," said Schwart.
According to him, the topography and beauty of the region are the greatest attractions in the city for balloon pilots, as they can take off and land on the beach, as in that region the wind is normally parallel to the beach. "That really is an important differential, a characteristic of the micro-climate of Torres, which probably has to do with the location of the city, between the river and the sea," he pointed out. Apart from the sea, the city is bathed by Mampituba river, on the border of the state with Santa Catarina.
During the festival, an intense cultural programme is offered. During the day, there are video, theatre, dance and music presentations, as well as poetry recitals and other free artistic manifestations. In the national shows that take place at night, admittance is one kilogram of non-perishable food.
On two nights of the event, the organisers promote Night Glow, a presentation that includes dozens of balloons lit with their burners, dancing in the sky of the southern Brazilian city. Air Show also offers tourist flights for those interested in sampling the emotion of a balloon flight. The flights take place from 7:00 to 10:00 am and after 4:00 pm, depending on the weather.
The Commerce manager at the Torres City Hall, Artur Perrar, says that tourism is the main source of employment and income during the summer, greatly expanding the number of work posts in all sectors, especially in the retail, services and industry. During the three months of the season, which begins in December, some 400,000 tourists visited Torres.
According to Perrar, most of the tourists are Argentine and Uruguayan. "The city is known internationally and receives tourists from several countries," he pointed out. The main options for stay are hotels and inns. Other options are camp sites and the rental of apartments, flats and houses.
Torres also allows for integrated routes like Itaimbezinho Canyon and Aparados da Serra National Park, located on the border between Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, belonging to the cities of Praia Grande and Cambará do Sul.
The towers
Torres received its name due to the existence of three gigantic rock pillars of volcanic origin, made of basalt, from the Jurassic/Cretaceous period (Era of Dinosaurs), approximately 140 million years ago, which arose on the sea shore, a unique aspect on the Brazilian coast.
The beautiful and unique landscape of Torres includes the North Tower, with Morro do Farol, Central Tower, also called Morro das Furnas, and the South Tower, where Guarita Beach is located.
Service
Official site of the festival
http://www.torres.rs.gov.br/festivaldebalonismo
Organise a balloon trip
E-mail: airshow@airshow.com.br
Telephone: (+55 21) 2205.2216
Torres City Hall
E-mail: www.torres.rs.gov.br
Telephone: (+55 51) 3664.1411
*Translated by Mark Ament
