I’ve just come back from an interesting trip to Brazil.  As the writer for propertyshowrooms.com and IPIN’s latest promotions in this awe-inspiringly vast country, it was with great excitement that I could at last ‘put a face to Natal.’ So, donned as a typical package holidaymaker to Natal, I was intrigued to get a first-hand view on just what this growing tourism region of Brazil has in store.

Natal’s Augusto Severo International Airport, being one of the nearest points to Europe in the entire country, makes the Natal area an easy to reach destination, despite an 8 hour Thomsonfly journey with two six-year olds and their patient parents – that’s another story.

Late night arrival at the hotel, conveniently only about 30 minutes bus journey from the airport, was impressive, with efficient reception staff waiting at the desk and delicious fruit cocktails and coconut milk served on silver trays by waiting staff.  Parque de Costeira is a beautiful, beachfront, all-inclusive hotel with every facility you could hope for: various bars (including one in the swimming pool!); three restaurants; a gym; a jacuzzi; a water slide in one of the three pools; live shows at night and, thankfully, even the prerequisite kids’ club!  What I am saying is that many of the hotels here are well equipped for today’s exacting package holidaymakers.  A stunning white sandy beach and warm waters stretch along the palm fringed coastal strip to Punta Negra, the nearest up-and-coming tourist town only 1 km from the hotel.  If it’s not a walk along the beach you’re after, there’s a regular bus service from outside the hotel into town.  Indeed, all the ingredients are in place to make this an excellent holiday destination.  

But one thing that really struck me without fail, over and over again throughout my stay was that Brazil is not yet ‘there’ in terms of the luxury eco-tourism it is so keen to promote.  Maybe this is because I caught my glimpse of the market still so early, but for whatever reason, Brazil is still ‘raw’ with some way still to go.  Many investors claim that this is therefore the best time to buy in Brazil.  After all, it’s a time when all the necessary ingredients are ready and waiting to create the masterpiece:  Natal’s brand new road bridge and good roads are a clear indication of its growing transport infrastructure and direct budget flights to Natal, along with superb beaches, lagoons, sand dunes and mangroves, a vibrant culture, and a strong economy all provide the ingredients so essential to successful investment in emerging tourism and property markets.

Some pundits claim that Natal investment is already ‘old hat’.  Indeed prices have gone up but, on the ground, you are constantly reminded of the journey Natal is still to make to become a polished tourism success - this in itself merits a closer look by shrewd property investors.

Still today the locals try to entice you with cheap imported souvenirs.  We were also shocked to see that during an excursion to Natal’s stunning Parque de las Dunas there were camel rides being offered to the tourists.  These non-indigenous creatures looked as out of place here as the Chinese sunglasses and Indian clothing that the smiling beach vendors so keenly touted.  The people never hustle or pressurise tourists.  They are generally very polite, smiling and friendly, not yet tainted by the spoils of mass tourism; nevertheless, these were such endearing traits, compared with locals in many other world tourism hotspots. 

Natal and its people of course deserve to get there in terms of quality tourism.  Strict government initiatives are apparently in place to restrict over-development, encouraging eco-friendliness on all counts – sadly corruption is ever-present and eco directives are not always respected, according to some locals’ opinions.  Nevertheless, at the IPIN approved Jacuma Beach Resort, which we visited during a sand dune buggy trip, was described by our driver as undergoing meticulous planning and permission processes, while many environmentalists are ensuring it does not interfere with the wonders of the natural beauty in which it is set. 

All around Jacuma, the beach is sheer paradise and, unlike in many other areas near Natal city, large, up-market holiday villas unobtrusively dot this part of the coastline, underlining the relative prestige of this particular location.  Once the resort is completed, it is clear prices will be rocketing. 

A few metres from the resort, we had a fantastic lunch at ‘Naf Naf’, a charming beach restaurant, where we ate the best fresh Brazilian fish and meat recipes we had tasted during our visit – a welcome break from the adequate mass-produced Brazilian-style cuisine at the hotel.  Then, back into the dune buggy for more off-road experiences on sand - we careered up dunes, down dunes and through lagoons; a truly memorable and breathtaking experience!

Like so many burgeoning tourism spots, such as the Costa del Sol thirty years ago, Brazil shows every sign of enjoying similar levels of success in the future.  Just as soon as the brunt of the global recession abates, Brazil will be ready and set to go.  Today’s early investors will be the ones to reap the highest returns from Natal’s quietly emerging tourism market.