Quote:
Originally Posted by destroycreate
Disclaimer before I get dragged - I know my take is more of a Euro/NA centric view.
Unlike other major megacities of the world, São Paulo (22M+ people!) which is the economic powerhouse of this country doesn't seem super romanticized or desirable from a global media/collective consciousness perspective. Yet from what I hear, the quality of life and safety is far better there than Rio, and it's extremely diverse and cosmopolitan...and it represents a microcosm of the multi-faceted nature of Brazil.
Aside from distance, what hinders São Paulo's status as aremier tourist destination in the league of Tokyo, Mexico City, Shanghai, NYC or London?
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Giant, sprawling mega cities like Sao Paulo, Los Angeles, Tokyo, London, Berlin, New York and Chicago etc. get their share of tourists, especially if they have attractions like Hollywood, Disneyland, major museums and the like. But many tourists seem to prefer the more compact, picturesque places like San Francisco, New Orleans, Rio, or the obvious tourist playgrounds of places like Las Vegas and Orlando. When many people go on vacation, they want to relax and unwind. It can be hard to do that in a large busy working city. Of course cultural tourists do go to the big cities with historical buildings, museums, famous palaces etc. Ideally a big city is also charming and scenic. Paris or Rome, for example. The tourists love those. I'm sure Sao Paulo has its charms. But Rio pulls the tourists.