Abstract

This paper analyses the dynamics of the relationship between air transport and tourism in Brazil. The analytical tools used were statistical inference and the efficiency frontier for the relationship between passenger air transport and tourism, using Malmquist data enveloping analysis. Of the 330 tourist regions registered with the Ministry of Tourism, 88 were selected. The analysis considered data for regions individually and grouped by geographic region. The results showed that, although tourist regions have made progress, tourism performance in Brazil has deteriorated in relation to its efficiency frontier. Brazil did not know how to use its competitive ad-vantages in tourism and failed to materialize potential jobs and enterprises in the tourism industry. The trend towards concentration in the economy and in tourist activities alerts to the need to look at regional development. The North and Northeast regions are furthest from the efficiency frontier, which can be interpreted as offering important investment opportunities.