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The city of the sun

Natal, “the city of the sun”, is the capital city of Rio Grande do Norte and is growing more and more popular amongst Brazilian and international tourists. According to the Institute for Applied Economics Research, Natal is the safest city in Brazil, and one of the Brazilian cities nearest to Europe, with a flying time of 7-8 hours. A new airport (Sao Gonzalo del Amarante) currently being constructed is only a 30 minute drive from Natal and it is anticipated that 5 million passengers will pass through its doors in 2010.

In November 2007 the new bridge “Ponte Newton Navarro” was finished, improving infrastructure and making the north zone of Natal a lot closer to the main side of Natal. The completion of the bridge has also stimulated further developments and demand for areas north of Natal, such as, Jacumã, Maracajaù, Touros and Sao Miguel de Gostoso.

Tourism

Ponta Negra, Natal’s most popular beach was a fishing village until the 1990’s when foreigners started investing in the area. As tourism flourished, many hotels, restaurants and superstores opened to cope with the increased demand for services. The beach stretching 4km is easily recognised by the famed Morro de Careca (Bald Man’s Hill), a landmark dune.

Natal is a popular holiday spot for wealthy Brazilians, with crystal clear beaches, year round tropical climate and an average temperature of 27⁰C, Natal is now set to become one of the world’s major holiday destinations. With a plethora of bars, restaurants and many water sports including surfing, it is easy to see why so many visitors to Natal continue to return.

Brazil’s government has recognised it’s potential and has invested over $200 million on infrastructure improvements in recent years and are committed to further development programs.

Big players in the tourism industry like Holiday Inn, Marriott, Sheraton and Club Med, are now investing large amounts of money into the booming property market, which is resulting in even more growth and the creation of more job opportunities for the locals.

The surrounding area is also very attractive. Pipa, regarded as one of the best beaches in the country, is just an hour and half drive away.

David Beckham

In January 2008, England football legend, David Beckham opened the first “David Beckham World of Sport” complex in Natal, to coincide with their hosting of the 2014 World Cup. This will be part of a bigger resort, which will include a “Rubens Barrichello motor racing school. Hollywood actors Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffiths are also actively promoting Natal - further boosting its growing international status.

NASA

If you are sick of the growing levels of population, then maybe heading to Natal is not such a bad idea. According to NASA research, this area of Brazil has the cleanest air in world.

Natal’s Investment Facts:

• Predicted capital growth of 20%
• Shortage of property for current demand
• Government relocating a lot of the country’s industries to Natal, creating more employment opportunities and growth of real incomes
• Major tour operators such as Thomson’s, realising Brazil’s tourism potential, have already added Natal as a destination
• Tourist visitor numbers increased by 50% between 2002 and 2005

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 at 7:49 pm and is filed under Blog, Investment Property Strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.