3º Infodev Global Forum

• - Apartment Villas
• - SPA
• - Recreation and Leisure
• - Marina
• - Bars
• - Commercial Center

• - Fitness Center      
  - International sector composed of suites
  - Sports and Water Complex
  - Convention Center
  - 6 restaurants with highly varied options
• - Ecological Reserve and Archaeological Museums

Florianopolis City

Florianópolis is composed of a 424.4 km2 ocean island and a small 12.1 km2 continental peninsula, for a total land area of 436.5 km2. The island and continental peninsula have just over 370,000 inhabitants.

Located between the major capital cities of Brazil and Latin America, Florianópolis is on the axis that joins large Brazilian urban centers to the cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Florianópolis is practically an obligatory stop on the Mercosul route and participates in the circuit of many international events since it can be easily reached by land, air and sea.

Aside from its national and international importance, Florianópolis plays a fundamental role in the State of Santa Catarina.   Not only is it the state capital, but it dominates the area known as the Metropolitan Region of Florianópolis, composed of 22 municipalities.  The Island of Santa Catarina can be easily reached by air through the Hercílio Luz International Airport and well structured dual lane highways.

Economy and business

The economy of Florianópolis is concentrated in the public sector, commerce and services and, of course, tourism.  This city does not have any large-scale industries due to its environmental characteristics which block installation of any type of polluting companies.

The highlight of the industrial sector is the technological park, composed of approximately 300 state-of-the-art companies, many of which are active players on the international market.  Taken together, they generate approximately 3,000 direct jobs and another 14,000 indirect positions, with revenues of R$ 500 million per year.  The success of the technological park is directly linked to the presence of incubators, which guarantee support to nascent companies.

Another important economic activity that is a source of employment and income for dozens of families is that of cultivation of mollusks - oysters and mussels. This activity began in the 1990s, as an alternative to fishing, which was no longer able to ensure the support of local communities.  Today, Florianópolis is the country’s largest producer of oysters, with 70% of the market (2.5 million dozens per year).  The activity generates 600 direct job opportunities and 2,600 indirect jobs, with annual revenues of R$ 7 million.

However, the high point of the year is always the tourist season when approximately 500,000 visitors come to the city and spend something in the range of US$ 170 million.  These visitors guarantee the revenues of hotels, restaurants and a wide array of other service companies.  Consolidation of the state capital as a target city for many events ensures the revenue flow during the off-season. 

Tourism and leisure

Despite its small size, Florianópolis has many attractions, ranging from nature to the urban center, offering leisure activities for all tastes.

Environmental preservation has made it possible to offer an endless series of options.  Known for its more than 42 beaches, the Island of Santa Catarina is perfect for nautical sports, particularly surfing, coupled with maritime tours, skin diving, magnificent dunes and trails for ecological trekking.  For those in search of adventure, the region’s extraordinary biodiversity makes it an ideal location for the practice of radical sports in the air, on the water or on land.

The urban area also has an excellent structure for other leisure options.  The city has many parks, shopping centers, theaters, cinemas, museums, excellent places for a happy hour, shows and nightclubs.  Restaurants offer a wide variety of choices, particularly featuring local cuisine.

Simple but tasty, the typical food results from a combination of Portuguese and native cooking.  The major items include fish and shrimp and, of course, manioc flower, which the Azorean colonizers inherited from the Tupi-Guarani natives.  Oysters, another of the city’s attractions, are grown on the island itself, since the region accounts for 70% of national production.  Shrimp is one item that is never missing on the plates of tourists who visit Florianópolis.

Utilization of a wide variety of seasoning, with considerable amounts of vinegar and mixtures of salted food with sweet elements gives local gastronomy a very unique and delicious taste.