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João Pessoa

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State capital

João Pessoa is the capital city of the state of Paraíba with a population of over 580,000 inhabitants. It is located in the north-east region of Brazil, 2340km from Brasilia, 1,900km from Rio de Janeiro, 2440km from São Paulo, 762km from Salvador, 111km from Recifè, and 153km from Natal. The climate is tropical and semi-arid, and receives an average annual temperature of 26 degrees centigrade.

João Pessoa's geographical location is at the eastern-most point of the Americas, allowing it to see the sun rise before anywhere else in South America. This also places it in a time zone that sees only 3 hours difference between the UK and João Pessoa.

The state and its capital are easily accessible from all around the world due to the international Presidente Castro Pinto Airport (JPA), located east of the city in Bayeux. The airport is currently undergoing expansion that will increase the terminal's capacity to 860,000 passengers each year. The airport already receives international charter flights as well as many flights from Brazilian cities. There are regular flights to and from Rio de Janiero and it is also possible to fly via Recifè which is only around 20 minutes away by air. Recifè, also with its own international airport, takes around an hour and a half to drive to from João Pessoa, opening up more flight options for the traveller.

City of history

João Pessoa is the third oldest city in the whole of Brazil. Founded in 1585, this beautiful and vibrant coastal city is awash with stunning archictecture and historical finds, from fine baroque structures on its street corners, to ancient places of worship to be found in the city's maze of streets.

Just some of João Pessoa's religious architectural attractions include the church of São Francisco, built in 1589 and featuring an altar adorned with gold Portuguese tiles, and the convent Santo Antônio, built in 1779. Both are fine examples of the highly embellished baroque style of architecture that is a feature of the historic side of João Pessoa. Other popular places on the historic tourist trail include the churches N.S. da Guia and N.S. do Carmo, and the Palácio da Redenção (Redemption's Palace); buildings that all date back to the XVI century.

The history of João Pessoa can be found everywhere, and not only in its places of worship. The Theatro Santa Roz dates back to 1889 and carries the city's signature baroque ornateness, and is still in use today. Only 25km from João Pessoa is the ancient Santa Catarina Fortress, featuring the captain's house, chapel and cannons originally built in 1586.

White sands and turquoise sea

João Pessoa also offers the beaches and palm trees that Brazil is famous for; indeed it boasts some of the most beautiful beaches of the Brazilian coastline. João Pessoa has over 40 km of white sandy beaches as well as many small, natural islands. According to the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism, the most popular beaches in the state can be found on the outskirts of the capital city, including Tambaú and Manaíra, as well as a nudist beach, Tambaba.

One of the top beach attractions in the area is watching the stunning sunsets which can be viewed from Jacarè beach while listening to the strains of Ravel's Bolero. There are also buggy strolls available to all the beaches Paraíba Area Guide Page 3 within easy reach of João Pessoa, such as Jacumã, Coquerinhos, Tambaba, Tabatinga, and Poço, among many others. Tambaú beach is also a bustling hotspot at night, thanks to its many bars, restaurants and clubs, many of which have shows with traditional Brazilian dancing. It also has a reputation for being particularly clean and relaxed for an urban beach. Popular surfing beaches include Oiteiro and Campina, with their strong waves, small sand dunes and lines of coconut trees.

Another beautiful natural attraction near João Pessoa are the pools of Picãozinho on the island of Areia Vermelha. Located just off Tambaú beach, they are comprised of a number of corals which together form natural pools that can be viewed at low tide, along with the many types of tropical fish that swim among them.

Landscape of lush greenery

João Pessoa has been named as the second greenest city in the world (the first being Paris in France) and the greenest city in South America, no mean feat for such a lush part of the world. It has more than seven square kilometres of forested land, and a stunning coastal woodland landscape. Even the city centre abounds with green areas: squares, avenues and parks amongst its residential neighbourhoods are lined with fruit and ornamental trees.

João Pessoa's tropical weather, with an average yearly temperature of around 25 degrees, is an ideal environment for the region's many exotic coconut trees, and the area even has its own tropical rain forest preserve. This Atlantic forest, stretching for over 600 hectares and yet still within the city limits of João Pessoa, has been named as the second-most important forest in Brazil.

Booming tourism

Tourism is developing gradually yet steadily in João Pessoa, ensuring that it its natural beauty is still unspoiled. It has a reputation for being friendly and safe and is becoming a particularly popular destination for Brazilian families.

João Pessoa is well served by hotels to suit all budgets, all being within easy access to the area's many beaches. There is a good array of restaurants, from the traditional Brazilian, serving the North-East's speciality cuisine of salted meat, to varying international options. João Pessoa also has its fair share of traditional Brazilian carnivals: in January and February of each year the city holds its own main festival, with many other fiestas and ‘mini-carnivals' throughout the year. The city's infrastructure caters well to the tourist, from reliable and safe public transport, to foreigner-friendly banks, car rental firms and tourism agencies.

Being the state capital of Paraíba ensures João Pessoa will benefit from the Brazilian government's planned investment into infrastructure. The country's Transport Minister recently announced that R$1.7 billion has been pledged to build and improve roads between major cities in Paraíba, Pernumbuco, and Rio Grande do Norte. Additional funds have been pledged for raising the tourism profile of Paraíba state further, following the positive figures released by the Paraíba Tourist Board which showed that the number of tourist arrivals into the state had increased by 80% compared to the previous year.

João Pessoa's existing tourism infrastructure, as well as the planned improvements, are in part responsible for the growing interest in the area for investment opportunities. International investors, who have long been aware of the lure of Brazil, are coming in increasing numbers to João Pessoa, thanks to its mix of outstanding natural beauty, rich history, and tourist-friendly environment.

Campina Grande

Queen of the plateau

Campina Grande, also in the state of Paraíba, is a city with around 350,000 inhabitants, located 550m above sea level on the Borborema Plateau. Within this plateau, Campina Grande is considered to be the largest and most important city, the so-called ‘Queen' (Rainha) of the Borborema.

It is Paraíba's second largest city after the state capital, João Pessoa, and north-eastern region of Brazil's primary industrial and technological centre. Officially founded in 1788, the municipality of Campina Grande today stretches to an area of 970km squared. It is located 130km from the city of João Pessoa and approximately three hours by car or bus journey from the city of Recifè.

The climate is as tropical as João Pessoa and the state of Paraíba as a whole, with an all time lowest temperature of around 15 degrees. As Campina Grande and the plateau on which it is located is inland, many locals travel to nearby coastal towns for some beach-time during the summer months (November through to March), João Pessoa and Salvador being some of the nearest.

The famous São João festival

Campina Grande is renowned for its full calendar of cultural events throughout the year, events that attract many tourists to the city. The main event is the festival of São João (O Maior São João do Mundo), the largest celebration of St John held anywhere in the world. Throughout the month of June, there are over 300 square dances (quadrilhas) on the streets of Campina Grande.

The Parque do Povo is a park in Campina Grande which houses a main feature of the São João festival. Over a hundred small huts are arranged which sell regional foods and craftsmanship while local artists perform on three stages in different parts of the park.

City of festivals

Campina Grande is becoming known for all of its popular festivals, and not only that of São João. The Winter Festival is held every year in the month of July and features a broad range of traditional singing, dancing, theatre, music and cinema.

The Micarande carnival, which takes place over a few days in March (one of the few out of season carnivals in the country), is even more in-keeping with the old Brazilian traditions. The lines between the performers and the festival-goers becomes pleasingly blurred, as tourists are swept up in the celebrations and encouraged to take part in the lively music and dancing.

Vibrant cultural attractions

Other cultural attractions in Campina Grande that attract both tourists and Brazilians alike include the Vaquejada Parque Maria da Luz (one of Brazil's most renowned traditional Vaquejada's: a rodeo involving two horsemen attempting to lasso a bull into a target) and the Congress of Violeiros (where poets called Violeiros from all around Brazil meet to perform their regionally inspired poems to music).

Tourist excursions

Campina Grande is also firmly on the tourist trail thanks to its many types of excursions and tours on offer. There are organised trips to Boqueirão, an artificial lake 50km southwest of Campina Grande, with attractions including fishing, boat rides and swimming. There are also mountain biking tours organised by the Clube Ciclístico de Campina Grande, which take biking tourists into the forest regions and plains of the Campina Grande Area, as well as through nearby towns like Areia, Boqueirão, Bananeiras and Ingá.

Jacumã

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Popular seaside town

The pretty seaside town of Jacumã is 25 minutes drive south of João Pessoa, in the Conde municipality of Paraíba state. Once a sleepy fishing village, Jacumã has become well known for its wealth of beautiful beaches and has long been a favourite holiday destination of Brazilians. International tourists have started to flock to the town due to its proximity to cities such as João Pessoa and its stunning coastal landscape.

Best beaches in the North-East

The beaches in and around Jacumã and the Conde area are generally agreed to be among the best the North-East region has to offer. A scenic highway leads the tourist from the city of Pessoa to the beaches of Jacumã, Tambaba, Tabatinga, Carapibus and Coqueirinho.

Jacumã in particular is known for its bathing and swimming conditions, thanks to its tranquil cove setting. It is particularly child-friendly, adding to the town's attraction for holidaying families. The surrounding small sand dunes are appealing in their own right, but are also the base for the area's many sporting activities, including skybunda, where people slide down the dunes on sledgelike boards.

The town's history as a fishing community remains evident in the number of boats still sailing in and out of the area; in the many boat rides on offer to tourists; and in the abundance of fresh fish and seafood on offer in the town's many quality restaurants.

Regeneration and investment

Jacumã is one to watch in terms of investment opportunity. The natural resources are clearly already there, and the simple charm of the town and beaches today are already enough to secure steady tourist arrivals each year.

However, the Brazilian Federal Government has announced an investment of R$19million to further improve on the town's infrastructure, including plans for new shopping malls and supermarkets. There are also plans in place for at least two championship golf courses and several international-standard holiday resorts in Jacumã's surrounding area. The next few years are set to build on Jacumã's natural tourist appeal and turn it into an investment hotspot.