Petrópolis is still trying to recover from the two floods this year, which punished the Historic Center and left a balance of 241 dead, a situation that is reflected in tourism. The occupancy rate at hotels in the region, which usually exceeds 90% during Carnival and New Year’s Eve, is still at 25%. The most optimistic projection, by the Accommodation and Restaurants Union (SindiPetrópolis), is that it will reach 50%.
The images of mud spread over the streets, flooded areas, submerged shops and buses, and the collapse of houses and hillsides are part of the past, although they have been retained in the memories of all who witnessed the tragedies. This is precisely a concern of Germano Valente, president of SindiPetrópolis, for the future of the sector in the Imperial City.
As much as the city is recovering, is clean, with tourist attractions working, hotels, bars and restaurants open, people still connect the city a lot to images of the rains. We understand that leisure tourism will take time to recover, and this affects the city a lot. Tourism drives commerce, and the petropolitan has become impoverished. A lot of people were fired, lost everything, and those who didn’t lose are helping those who lost. Petrópolis’ GDP has dropped a lot, and this is reflected in all sectors.
Germano Valente, president of SindiPetrópolis
After the first rains, on February 15, which left 234 dead, a study by the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan) pointed out that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the city in the Serrana Region lost at least R$ 665 million. .
In the same period, economist Riley Rodrigues, advisor to the Secretary of State for the Civil House, estimated that the cost of the first tragedy in the city would exceed R$ 2 billion. The data has not been updated since then.
Germano Valente points out that the union represents 117 lodging facilities, with 2,349 rooms and around 300 bars and restaurants. According to the agency, there is still no final figure, but the floods did not close 10% of establishments, but affected especially the bars.
“Hotels are heavy infrastructure investments, which suffer less. They may have gotten dirty, lost some furniture and stock, which was promptly resolved. The situation of bars and restaurants is different, they are more vulnerable”, he ponders.
Outside the Historic Center, the occupancy of establishments is good and should exceed 90%. Mainly in the district of Itaipava, about 15 kilometers from the epicenter of the tragedies.
The number is boosted by the second and final weekend of “Rock the Mountain”, which will feature performances by names such as Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Alceu Valença, Criolo, Djonga and Black Alien.
Source: CNN Brasil
