| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 07/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 40 |
| Copyright: Other |
Brazil by Linsey McNeill
THE news that Airtours is to become the first UK operator to launch non-stop charters to Brazil’s San Salvador de Bahia coast next May has pushed the destination into the spotlight (Travel Weekly July 10).Airtours has brought out a dedicated Brazil brochure featuring eight properties in three resorts, which will be served by the operator’s international flights from Gatwick.
The catalyst for the launch of Airtours’ programme was the creation of a brand new resort complex, the Costa do Sauípe, six miles north of the airport, which is due to open at the end of this year, with five international hotels and six themed Brazilian-style inns. Two of the hotels will be run by Marriott, two by Sofitel, and one by all-inclusive operator SuperClubs.
Other UK operators, including Unijet, Kuoni and Cox and Kings, are considering adding the Costa do Sauípe resort to next year’s programmes.
A Unijet spokeswoman said the resort may feature in the second edition of its 2001 brochure and Kuoni product manager Catherine Pearson said she was considering featuring the resort but perhaps not until 2002.
Cox and Kings product manager Lucy Nicholson described the Costa do Sauípe as “a very interesting resort in a beautiful part of Brazil” but she said she was waiting until building work was complete before deciding whether to feature it.
There are several other new tourist developments on Brazil’s northeast coast and Chris Pickard, of the recently opened Brazil tourist office in London, said there are at least 10 new projects that are expected to come to fruition during the next couple of years, such as Aquairiz,a development in the state of Ceara. “They will completely change the area but this coastline is 4,000 miles long so there is no danger of it becoming swamped by tourism,” said Pickard.
He said he expected more airlines to follow Airtours’ example in launching flights to the northeast. The flight time from the UK to Salvador of nine hours knocks more than two hours off the flight to Rio.
“At the moment, TAP Air Portugal is the only European airline to fly to the northeast of Brazil and everyone else goes into Rio or Sao Paulo,” said Pickard. “This is not a problem for the specialist operators but if more scheduled airlines flew to Salvador we would attract more business to the area.”
Operators go nuts for Brazil
Airtours programme tours spotlight on northeastern coast
Carnival time: visitors to Costa do Sauípe coast will be able to relax in Brazilian-style innsfactfile
up-and-coming regions
n The Brazil tourist office is organising an operators’educational to Costa do Sauípe and the Salvador region next month, to take place either immediately before or after the LatinAmerica Travel Show in Brazil this autumn. The office wants to put together a programme of agents’ educationalsstarting this autumn.