Alagoas state, in the Brazilian Northeast, is fast becoming Brazil's next six-star destination. The Northeast region's second-smallest state (27,767 sq km – 10.721 square miles ) has an impressive coastline relative to its size (230 km – 143 miles) which many say is the most beautiful in Brazil because of its coral reefs, myriad coconut palms, white sand, red cliffs and bright turquoise sea.
It has long been a popular Brazilian tourist destination, yet the opening of the international airport just outside the capital, Maceió, in 2005, with the potential of welcoming direct flights from Europe next year, has brought it to the attention of international investors for the first time.
Several major names in the real estate and tourism industry have chosen to invest in Alagoas in the last few years. Among the large scale ventures are, Itacaré Capital Partners, Aman Resorts, Radisson Hotels, Invest Tur (Six Senses and Txai Brands) and Multiplan.
Itacaré Capital Partners, the company behind Warapuru six-star resort in Itacaré, Bahia, announced in October 2007 the construction of a luxury condominium at Duas Barras on the southern coast of Alagoas, in the municipality of Coruripe. The venture is set in an area of 200 hectares along a 2 mile stretch of beach.
It will have 40 houses and 40 bungalow-type lodgings; the condominium will be six-star standard and its structure is similar to those found in the Caribbean and southern France. The initial investment in the first year will be 30 million Brazilian reais (US$ 19 million) and will total 100 million reais (US$ 64 million) by the end of 36 months. It will generate 800 jobs in the construction phase and another 500 positions after the start of the activities of the condominium.
Aman Resorts, which already has luxury intimate retreats in Thailand, Bali, India, Sri Lanka, and the Caribbean, has undertaken the construction of another six-star hotel in the south coast of the estate; the high level development which is under the responsibility of Construtora Gustavo Halbreich offers 6 km stretch of beach and will also have a luxury residential condominium as part of the resort.
Radisson Maceió is another new venture planned for Alagoas on the beach of Pajuçara, in Maceió. The five-star hotel will have 200 apartments and an 800-capacity events space, will receive an investment of R$ 40 million (US$ 25.4 million) and construction has just begun for completion in 2009. The hotel promises to be among the largest enterprises of luxury hotels in the state.
Invest Tur Brasil – Desenvolvimento Imobiliário Turístico S.A., operators and managers of high-standard enterprises in the tourism-oriented real estate industry, has undertaken a partnership with its Txai brand (Txai has a 5-star beach resort in Brazil near Itacaré, Bahia) and Six Senses.
Established in 1995 Six Senses is a resorts and spa management and development company, managing resorts under different brand names – Soneva, Six Senses Hideaway, Six Senses Latitudes, and Evason; plus Six Senses Spas and Six Senses Destination Spas.
Invest Tur first invested in Alagoas in September 2007, when the company announced the purchase of 2 million square meters of land on the north coast of the State. The Onda Azul project, with 2.1 km of beach, will be in the district of Barra de Santo Antônio famous for its natural beauty and coral coast.
The plans of the Invest Tur project involve the construction of the Green Wave Resort hotel and Green Wave Residence. 224 million reais (US$ 142 million) will be invested, with 51 million reais (US$ 32.4 million) for the Green Wave Resort and 173 million (US$ 110 million) for the Green Wave Residence. Invest Tur plans to start its activities for the five-star venture in 2009 for completion in 2012.
The president of ADIT Nordeste, Felipe Cavalcante, based in the state of Alagoas says, "The announcement of this partnership between Txai and Six Senses with Invest Tur is a determining factor for the affirmation of Alagoas as a potential high class tourist and real estate destination. The local government is focusing only on high-end real estate projects so the state receives the best developments in the country which add to its natural scenery.
It is wonderful to see that the natural beauty of Alagoas will be enhanced by all these top quality real estate projects. Such partnerships are serving to leverage the economy of the state and attract more attention from international investors."
Alagoas has an average temperature of 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) all year round with an average of 50mm (2 inches) of rainfall, clear warm waters and some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Most of the state is planted with coconut trees and sugar cane, with coral reefs forming swimming pools that are famous for snorkeling and bathing. There are over 230 km (143 miles) of unspoiled coastline.
The state lies between Pernambuco in the north and Sergipe in the south and has a population of 3 million. The capital, Maceió has a population of nearly one million.
