Ceará invests in a Congress Centre and an Air Hub to position itself as an event destination

Since being chosen to host the Air France, KLM and Gol airline hub in northeastern Brazil, Ceará has been attracting the attention of both tourists and event and congress organisers.

With this airport hub and the largest Latin American event centre in Fortaleza, Ceará expects to grow 17% this year in the flow of Portuguese tourists. This expectation will make Portugal reach the second place in the list of countries that send tourists to this destination, headed by France and followed by Italy, Germany and Argentina.

If in 2017 the frequency was 14 international flights per week, now the state of Ceará registers 48 international flights a week, a significant increase in this area that encourages the entire trade to invest in different services and experiences. In addition to the pioneering nature of TAP, which has been traveling to the region for 20 years, there are now direct flights to Paris with Air France, Amsterdam to KLM, and Frankfurt to Condor, facilitating logistics to the traveller and putting the more than 500 kilometres beach coastline within reach of the European market.

The Ceará Event Centre also contributes to establish Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará, as a corporate destination. The most modern of its kind in Latin America and the second largest in Brazil, with 76,000 sqm of floor space, is a multipurpose venue, divisible into up to 44 different areas, adaptable to organisers and events. The independent entries for each areas allow simultaneous events to occur, with different identities and needs, without interfering with each other. At the entrance of each hall there are a set of seven receptions that can work together depending on the event size.

The venue recorded a revenue of R$ 11,196,975.71 (2,537,178.71 euros) in 2018, a 26.9% increase over 2017 and the best result since it was inaugurated in 2012. In all, there were 103 events last year, which received about 670 thousand people. For this year, 65 events are already scheduled, such as medical congresses, the XII International Book Biennial (August 16) and the Knowledge Fair (September 25), along with others already scheduled up until 2024.

Selfies, adventure and relax

To complete the program of congress attractions and enrich any holiday list, there are renowned beaches and sites such as Jericoacoara, Morro Branco, Canoa Quebrada, Fortim, Lagoinha, Flecheiras and a diverse hotel network. Extreme, aquatic, adventure, mountain sports with a pleasant climate, a countryside rich in religious tourism or facing the Cariri geopark with its archeology and fossil formations museum make this region a must-see destination.
 

Rose de Almeida