Joao Pessoa, North East Brazil…. A Sleeping Giant Is Waking Up

Joao Pessoa in north east Brazil has been until now a closely and jealously guarded secret within Brazil. As state capital for Paraiba it sits directly between Natal and Recife and has always proved very popular with Brazilian tourists from the densely populated Cities of the south. Known for some of the best beaches out of 5000 miles of coastline (Tambaba, Cocquerinho, Praia Bela, Cabo Branco, Jacare, etc) Joao Pessoa is a sleeping tourist giant that is starting to stir.

Recently Joao Pessoa has completed the new international bilingual school within the city, responding to the English speaking expats that are starting to discover this hidden gem of a city. Opening its first international school is viewed by many as the mark of Joao Pessoas arrival on the international stage. This new school will teach a bilingual curriculum in English and Portuguese, having been established to service Joao Pessoa’s increasing international community. It will also help current residents adapt and grow to meet the changing needs of a city in the accelerating phase of an economic growth phase.

New hotel projects and Tourist resorts such as Tambaba’s 5 Star Country Club Resort project are gaining significant momentum in response to new tourist projects such as the Oscar Niemeyer designed Arts and Convention Centre within the City, as well as the new 2500 seat International Convention Centre currently under construction.  

The $50m international convention centre is considered a major coup for the city given it will be the largest international convention centre in the north east of the country. It is expected to bring a boom in tourism to the area with the development of new hotels and resorts. The area already has exceptionally high occupancy levels for hotel rooms and quality tourist accommodation so the additional development will accommodate the burgeoning number of visitors attending new cultural events and conferences. The knock-on effect will result in a surge in real estate values. Good news for the canny investors who already have Joao Pessoa on their radar.

Joao Pessoa has also been part of a major Federal Government infrastructure programme. JP and the State of Paraiba is nearing completion if its new inter city high speed dual carriageway – the BR-101 expansion programme connecting the City of Joao Pessoa with Natal and Recife. This is well ahead of time for the 2014 FIFA world cup of which both Recife and Natal are host cities. This connection will reduce the connection time by half from Joao Pessoa to 1 hour to Natal and 45 Minutes to Recife.

The international airport in Joao Pessoa – Castro Pinto is also part of the infrastructure expansion. Europeans will be happy to know that from April 2010 – Arkefly (Part of the Tui Group of travel companies)  via ‘Fly Brazil’ will be flying direct to Joao Pessoa from Amsterdam www.arkefly.com It will not be long before other carriers start to follow and is already serviced daily by the flagship Brazilian airlines of Gol and TAM. Plans are afoot for further expansion of the airport and its facilities, further fuelling the areas growth.

When put into the context of investment, the above developments are a few of the key strategic moves that Joao Pessoa is making to stamp its authority on the Brazilian tourism market. The giant is awakening and is showing how much it really has to offer the international market. Given the stunning beauty of the city, it’s surrounding coastline and the energy and friendliness of its people investment in real estate, land and property in this region is very smart move.