The South American airline company LATAM will offer the first direct flights between Orlando and Rio de Janeiro starting in July. It’s to meet a growing demand for travel between both cities, a trend marked by more than 820,000 passengers visiting between Orlando and Brazil in 2016 according to airport officials.
“It is a big deal, not only in the Orlando perspective, but also that means that Brazil is kind of rebounding,” said Claudia Menezes, vice president of Pegasus, an Orlando-based travel company that caters to Brazilian tourists.
She said despite past declines in visits from Brazilians to Orlando, the added flights are evidence of the appetite for central Florida.
“You have the sports. You have the cultural part. You have tons of restaurants. It is nice, and people feel good,” she said, adding that Orlando is no longer a place where you only come to see Mickey Mouse and Shamu.
LATAM's announcement comes on the heels of a decision to end its nonstop flights between New York and Rio de Janeiro.
The flights will go between Orlando International Airport and Tom Jobin International Airport three times a week.
Up until now it has only been possible to take a commercial direct flight to Sao Paulo and Brasilia from Orlando.