Natal, which is also popular among Brazilian real estate investors and set to be one of the host cities for the 2014 Football World Cup, will see a huge influx for the three day Nordeste Invest event which kicks off on the 10th of May next year.
Those attending will include developers, investment funds, hotel chains and companies associated with the real estate and tourism industries.
It comes at time when Brazil is entering a phase of massive infrastructure development not just for the major football tournament but also for the Olympic Games in 2016.
The Association for Inward Investment in Real Estate and Tourism in Brazil, one of the event partners, said there are major opportunities for foreign investors in Brazil.
‘The Brazilian economy clearly shows that Brazil is a country with great potential.
The economic and political stability and the fact that Brazil came out of the crisis before the majority of first world countries demonstrates that our country is ready to welcome foreign investments,’ said Felipe Cavalcante, president of ADIT.
‘Brazil’s middle class is another attractive factor for investors, since they also want to benefit from Brazil’s domestic market.
The Investment Grade Rating (investment index) that Brazil received from three agencies, such as Fitch Ratings, Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, which analyze and classify the level of risk, are also taken into account when speaking about foreign investments for Brazil,’ he added.
Sílvio Bezerra, vice-president of ADIT for Rio Grande do Norte, the region where Natal is the capital city, said it currently has a 130,000 housing shortage.
In order to attract foreign investments to the area the government is investing R$ 1 billion to improve infrastructure including roads, hotels, and public transport, and also to build the largest airport in Latin America which will accommodate a total of 40 million passengers when it opens.
The impact of increased investment and credit in the Brazilian real estate market, investment funds and their expectations to do business with developers and investors will be among the major topics for discussion.
Because Brazil has suffered less than many other countries in the global economic downturn it is expected that the event in Natal will surpass the success of Nordeste Invest 2009 which had 1,320 participants, 105 international investors from 12 countries including the US, Spain, Argentina and Singapore with R$ 437 million in prospective business discussed.
The first Nordeste Invest was held in March, 2006 and it has grown in popularity ever since.
‘The event continues to be a valuable platform for investors and media alike to learn more about business opportunities in Brazil,’ said a spokeswoman.
