One of the greatest things about owning a vacation or retirement home on the beach is enjoying the wildlife that pass by and a retirement property in Bahia could allow people to see one of the most majestic animals on earth.

Humpback whales are marine mammals that do not have a nose. Their most distinctive feature of the humpback whale is their long pectoral fins, which can be as long as one third of the length of their bodies. The fins may be black on their dorsal part and completely white on their ventral part. Humpback whales use the waters off the coast of Santa Catarina and Bahia for their breeding rituals forming courtship groups, mating, giving birth to their offspring and nursing them. Recently an article from Realty Executives states that buying a property in Bahia could provide a peaceful location to watch them.

In the fall, humpback whales leave their feeding grounds in the Gulf of Alaska, the sea of Bering and the sea of Chuckchi and travel towards warmer waters off Bahia where they spend the winter and have their calves. Once the cold weather has passed, the whales leave Brazil again for cooler climes.

Ecotourism in Brazil is also getting "very popular" among holidaymakers, who are becoming a lot more environmentally conscious. It is not to wonder then that the Brazil's tourist board invests in ecotourism as part of a larger effort which attracted more than five million visitors in 2007, generating $4.95 billion (?3.5 billion) for the economy.

Ms Rendell-Dunn, marketing manager for Journey Latin America has stated that Brazil is the "perfect destination" for travelers looking for nature, adventure and culture, as "it offers something for everybody".

Labels: Bahia, Seaside

China Construction Bank (CCB), the world's second-biggest bank by market value, revealed that it intends to set up branch offices in fellow BRIC nations Brazil, India and Russia, according to reports.

Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Construction Bank said that CCB signed a memorandum of understanding that is expected to lead to an agreement to provide US conglomerate General Electric Co with banking services in China and for cross-border financing.

After saying he "certainly" wanted to open branches in Brazil, Mr. Guo said this is due to a reluctance to develop into other nations. He commented: 'I think that in the developed countries, the financial sector is overdeveloped, there is over banking'. According to Reuter's reports, the company intends to add ten more branches in the next ten years, which may boost the availability of banking services to property investors in Brazil.

Meanwhile, Michael Sutton, reporting for Write about Property stated that Brazil grows into one of the world's largest economies; property will grow in value until prices are similar to what they are in the developed economies. He added that one-bedroom flat in Rio de Janeiro, which would currently cost around £80,000and the same property would be priced at approximately £150,000 in London at the moment, which suggests the potential for 100 per cent growth in the next five years.

Labels: Latest-News, Rio-de-Janeiro

Industrial commercial property in Brazil is one of the best performing in the world in 2008, according to a new report.

Research by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) found that 90 per cent of the countries surveyed reported that rents were falling, with only commercial property in Brazil, Saudi Arabia and parts of Africa not seeing a decline in yields. Brazilian market recorded the highest global rise in rents of 46 per cent and within the country; Rio de Janeiro recorded the highest rise in rents.

Mário Sérgio S. Gurgueira, research analyst at Cushman & Wakefield, Brazil comments; "Brazil performed well in the industrial and warehouses market because of an improving domestic economy over the year. This has seen consumer demand rise and has therefore resulted in more sales, more warehousing and more transportation. The outlook for the market and even when taking into account the present global crisis, we still expect the growth of the industrial market to continue in the medium term."

Samantha Gore, the sales manager at UV10 explained that favorable climate enables people to buy holiday home that they can enjoy a holiday in while leaving time to rent it out for the rest of the year.

She commented: "Brazil has got a long rental season because it is warm all year round and a long season you can rent it out for."

Commenting on the holiday rental market, Ms Gore noted that people do not tend to buy and sell properties quickly, as they tend to enjoy being in the country and see such investments as long-term prospects.

Labels: Commerical-Property, Rentals

Salvador is the ideal place to purchase a holiday home in Brazil as it attracts millions of local holidaymakers and thousands of Brits, according to an expert.

Tom Wuckovich writing for the Toronto Star said that the city, which is in the north eastern state of Bahia, was the first major port and the capital of colonial Brazil for almost two centuries. The city lies between green tropical hills and broad beaches along the bay of Todos os Santos. In Salvador, the African influence in the makeup of Brazilian culture is readily visible more than anywhere else in the country, from the peppery dishes still called by their African names ( acaraji, caruru, vatapa), to the ceremonies of candombli which honor both African deities and Catholic holidays.

Many of the city's flamboyant churches, private homes, colorful colonial buildings, and cobblestoned streets have been preserved as part of Brazil's historic patrimony. For a cosmopolitan holiday, travelers may wish to head to the Pelourinho historical district, Mr. Wuckovich said.

"Pelourinho has a place on the national historic register and named a world cultural centery by UNESCO." he pointed out. This areas is Nicknamed as Pelo by residents which is in the older part of the upper city, or Cidade Alta, of Salvador. Pelo has something to see along every street, including churches, cafes, restaurants, shops and the pastel-hued buildings.

However, Locals and overseas tourists alike flock to Farol da Barra, a small island at the tip of Salvador to sit and watch the sun go down while drinking cocktails.

In related news, Will Hide, a Yorkshireman, now living in London, writes full time on many aspects of travel and food for numerous national UK papers recommended the Salvador de Bahia as being close to paradise for holidaymakers.

Labels: Bahia, Holiday-rentals, Salvador

Brazilian property investors will benefit from the construction of a new thermal-electric power plant which has been approved in the north east part of Brazil.

The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) announced that the project for construction of the Pecém Port thermal-electric power plant, in the city of São Gonçalo do Amarante, Ceará, in the Brazilian Northeast, was granted financing of 1.4 billion Brazilian reais by the BNDES.

The work should generate 1,500 jobs in the period and construction is part of the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC). The new plant should start operating in 2012. This project is also expected to boost the property market in the region.

According to the press release by the BNDES, the new thermal electric mill should implement technologies for clean production, using coal as a fuel, with the aim of reducing environmental impact and emission of polluting gas.

According to the country's finance minister Guido Mantega, Brazil has already begun its recovery and will grow by between three and four per cent next year, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Latin American country is continuing to invest in measures that could increase its self-sufficiency and therefore encourage its economy to grow towards developed status.

Agriculture minister Reinhold Stephanes said this week that the Brazilian government is to increase lending to farmers by as much as 38 per cent this season in a bid to avoid problems accessing credit that have blighted businesses in the western world.

Meanwhile, a survey carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) found that even though much of the world saw a decline in mergers and acquisitions, the Operations in Brazil's ironworks industry grew by 52 per cent. The country produces a quarter of the world's iron ore output and Brazilian government is aiming to capitalize on its wealth of natural resources in order to achieve self-sufficiency and status as a developed country.

Labels: Infrastructure

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) said it expects to boost its real estate and infrastructure exposure in fiscal 2010 and could be set to purchase property in Brazil as it looks to take advantage of opportunities caused by the global downturn.

The CPPIB, one of Canada's largest pension funds with $105.5 billion of assets said it is likely to reduce its Canadian equity exposure in favour of global stocks and it would trim Canadian equity exposure to 13 percent from 14.7 percent.

In a media briefing, Mark Wiseman, senior vice-president of private investments at CPPIB commented: "We see significant opportunities in infrastructure investment around the world. We are prepared to pursue large transactions".

Chief Executive David Denison recently stated that the fund is eyeing more investment choices abroad, particularly in real estate and infrastructure, as it takes advantage of buying opportunities spawned by the financial crisis. In fiscal 2010, it aims to focus on real estate in Brazil, the U.K. and Australia, among other markets, according to Reuter’s reports.

Graeme Eadie, senior vice president of real estate for the fund has stated that the diversity of Brazil and its investment opportunities are a factor behind its interest. He said that those behind pension plan can see chances for growth in Brazil real estate.

In related news, Luis Fernando Martinez, sales director of steelmaker CSN has said that the company is aiming to make the most of Brazil real estate sector boom. "The housing deficit here is still too big and the ability to lend is very good at the same time. The sooner you enter this market, the better the growth opportunities you will get,"he explained.

Labels: Infrastructure, Market-Trends

Investment firm Banking and Trading Group (BTG), the investment company owned by Brazilian billionaire Andre Esteves, aims to take advantage of the "lucrative and booming" Brazil real estate market, it is reported.


BTG has bought a 50 percent stake in local parking facility company Estapar on Monday as demand for parking space grows in the nation's main metropolitan areas. Helio Cerqueira Jr., an Allpark partner said that BTG has bought the Brazilian unit of UBS AG for $2.5 billion, and will pay in cash for half ownership of Allpark, the holding company that owns Estapar. At present Estapar, the brand name for Allpark's parking facility business controls up to 4 percent of Brazil's parking space market. Estapar controls 630 parking lots around Brazil and has more than 15,000 on-street parking stalls in 11 Brazilian cities.

According to Reuter's reports, Mr. Cerqueira commented: "It's a strategic move that will allow both BTG and Estapar to grow into Brazil's booming real estate market, because our business is closely linked to city development in urban areas." However, He declined to disclose the amount of the transaction.

The Estapar purchase will allow BTG to double that market share within three years as Brazil's car fleet grows as the Brazil’s household income is rising over the years. Prices for parking space, which rise concurrently with those of housing and office real estate, have increased in recent years close to double-digits, Cerqueira said.

According to the press release from BTG, "Estapar will have access to capital as part of a strategy which will give the company an unprecedented competitive advantage in the sector".

Meanwhile, BTG bought fuel service stations in Brazil and a U.K.-based commodities hedge fund with $700 million under management.

Labels: Market-Trends