Tax Free for foreign tourists would move BRL 2.1 billion

The conclusion is from the survey International Tourism: Satisfaction and Consumption in the state of RJ and Tax Free, carried out in March by the Fecomércio Institute of Research and Analysis of Rio de Janeiro (IFec RJ), with foreign tourists in the departure area of ​​Galeão International Airport Tom Jobim, north of Rio.

The data show that, while the average consumption per tourist without the program is US$ 542.9, with the implementation of the exemption, tourists would spend US$ 665.5 on average.

Among those interviewed, 48.7% have heard about Tax Free and, among them, 27.3% think that tax exemption is important for making purchases.

The research shows that 50.7% of the interviewed tourists have already benefited from similar programs when traveling to other countries that adopt Tax Free. After explaining how the refund works for those who did not know about it and for those who already know it, 53.7% stated that it encourages consumption: “73% think that Brazil should adopt the refund program, with 46.2% revealing that would spend more or start buying with the adoption of the measure”, says a note from IFec RJ.

Rio de Janeiro

For 74.5% of respondents, Rio de Janeiro is a good place for vacations and shopping, in addition to being not expensive. While traveling across the state, 60.5% of international tourists shopped.

Clothes were the most purchased product and reached 64.1% in the preference of these visitors. Spending on food and beverages to be taken to their countries of origin reached 37.2%.

Brazil does not adopt the reimbursement system that is usually refunded to tourists when they leave the country, but there are projects under discussion in Congress with this proposal.

The study shows that 83.4% of respondents choose Rio for tourism, leisure and sightseeing. For another 11.3%, the reason for the trip is business. The average overnight stay of visitors is ten days, but among them 48.9% stay on average between eight and 30 days in the state.

accommodation

Most foreign tourists in Rio prefer to stay in hotels (64.4%) and inns (20.7%). Next, properties or rooms rented via digital platforms are preferred (17.7%), with Airbnb predominating.

The expenditures of 49.9% of the surveyed tourists were between US$ 201 and US$ 1,000, with an average of US$ 542.9.

“Because it is a friendly destination for shopping, compared to their countries of origin, tourists would spend an average of US$ 786.6 with the same products purchased in Rio”, indicated the study.

The importance of having a souvenir of the trip (55.9%) was the main factor for the purchase decision of these tourists. Then came the lower value than in their country (31.5%) and the quality of the product purchased (26.1%).

For Otavio Leite, consultant to the Presidency of Fecomércio RJ and doctoral student in Tourism, the survey is a good thermometer of how the tourism sector and commerce should behave:

“In the survey, we showed the perception of foreign tourist satisfaction and the growth potential that the city and the state have for consumption. Rio is leisure, but it is also friendly for shopping because it is a cheap destination, with responsible prices. ”

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In all, 866 foreign tourists were consulted between the 7th and 14th of March, taking into account the proportionality of the destination of origin of the tourists contained in the Statistical Yearbook of Tourism 2020, base year 2019, of the Ministry of Tourism, regarding arrivals in Rio de Janeiro.

Fecomércio informed that the objective of the survey was to measure the benefits that a reimbursement program, such as Tax Free, can provide to the sector of trade in goods, services and tourism in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to determining satisfaction indicators and understanding shopping behavior and the profile of tourists who visited Rio de Janeiro.