[JMBroad]

Recife is a bit of a conundrum. In 2003 it was on par with Fortaleza and Salvador with regards to international tourism. However (according to govt sources) the tourism board of PE got "lazy" and sat back waiting for the tourists to flow in. Meanwhile, other states started actively promoting themselves to the overseas tourism markets.

In 2004 Natal had already overtaken Recife, was closing in on Fortaleza and Salvador who were pulling far away from Recife. By 2005 Natal had caught up with Fortaleza and Salvador - Recife was falling well behind.

In 2006, Salvador took a huge leap forwards, Natal and Fortaleza remained tied for second spot, Recife actually dropped in numbers.

In 2007, Recife numbers rose slightly, perhaps a positive effect of what their own tourism board said "we realised that we'd been slacking and let other states get ahead... so now we are being a lot more active in promoting the state". Natal numbers dropped slightly, Fortaleza stayed the same and Salvador again took a leap forwards.

What Recife does have, however, is a huge potential for the domestic market, welcoming just under three times as many domestic tourists compared to Natal and more than Fortaleza.

The new flight route may be a product of the "new and improved" tourist board of PE who are desperately trying to get back into the race for international popularity.