The National Tourism Plan and Restaurants
Announced this October, the National Tourism Plan is a measure launched by the government to boost the number of domestic and international travelers on Brazilian soil. One of the project's main goals is to increase the revenue generated by tourism – an opportunity for bars and restaurants to grow along with demand.
The strategies set out in the project focus on the 2024 to 2027 period and are the result of a projection based on data from Embratur (the Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion), which shows the country's potential to raise its annual average of foreign visitors from six to eight million.
In addition, the plan also aims to reach a total of 150 million trips by Brazilians within the country and to expand the number of municipalities that are part of the Brazilian Tourism Map. All these measures create opportunities for bars and restaurants to take advantage of the flow of tourists to win new customers.
Diners can take advantage of these initiatives to enjoy distinctive experiences. As bars and restaurants improve their service, customers benefit from those upgrades and can also enjoy new dish options at venues preparing to diversify their menu.
According to Thiago Rousseau, corporate manager of Grupo Geppos, the increase in tourist traffic has a significant impact on operations. “With more visitors, venues can diversify their dishes, attracting different palates and increasing visibility” he says.
He says that both Cabaña Del Primo, an Argentine parrilla, and Geppos Italiano are seeing an increase in clientele and a boost in sales. Both restaurants, members of the group, are located in Fortaleza (CE), a heavily touristic city.
“And customers win with the professionalization of the sector. The need to deliver good experiences pushes restaurants to seek excellence in service, and that elevates the entire food service sector”, he explains.
The manager of the Cunhaú Show restaurant, in Barra de Cunhaú (RN), reinforces the advantages of this movement for customers. Max Fonseca explains that new customers and growing demand lead companies to modernize and evolve as they seek to improve service quality.
“The transformation driven by the increase in tourism means local consumers win too, because the growth in this traffic creates more opportunities for competition and prices become more competitive”, he adds.
Gastronomy in focus
One of the areas of focus of the National Tourism Plan, is precisely the strengthening of gastronomic tourism. One factor that drives this trend even further is the popularity of the Michelin Guide, a curated selection put together by specialized critics who point out which restaurants deserve the public's attention.
From one to three Michelin stars, the guide points out, respectively, venues that are worth visiting, those that deserve a detour on a trip, and those that can justify a trip of their own, just to be enjoyed by the public.
For Brazilians who start visiting other regions in search of new experiences, exploring flavors that carry this “seal” can be a good option. The status that comes with Michelin stars is based on the high quality of the experience the restaurant offers, evident even in the details.
