It seems that suddenly all eyes are on Brazil, it is the place to live and the place to invest in property. With so many areas to choose from, how do you make your selection? Here we look at five top reasons why you should choose Joao Pessoa in the North East.

The “World Cup” effect is already being felt in North East Brazil. Both Natal and Recife have been named as host cities for the event and Joao Pessoa is perfectly position just an hours drive from each, providing easy access to twice as many group matches as visitors staying in other locations. Guests staying in Joao Pessoa will be able to enjoy all the excitement of World Cup soccer from the comfort of a safe and relaxed beachside oasis.

Following protracted negotiations the city received permission in August for a major conference centre costing in excess of $50 million to be located in Cabo Branco, Joao Pessoas number one residential district and ideal investment location. The area has some of the best beaches in Paraba. This approval is expected to bring a boom in tourism to the area with the construction of many new hotels and resorts to accommodate the burgeoning number of visitors attending new cultural events and conferences. The knock-on effect will of course be a surge in real estate values, which is good news for the canny investors who already have Joao Pessoa on their radar.

Joao Pessoa has a lively cultural calendar and plays host to a high-profile event pretty much on a weekly basis. From street races music festivals to art exhibitions and literary gatherings, there is always something special to see or do.

North East Brazil in general is receiving a lot of interest from the international investor market but the place on everyone’s lips right now is Joao Pessoa. Economic expansion and migration from the southern cities are fuelling the domestic market, ensuring a steady stream of buyers for new and resale properties and developers are struggling to keep up with demand. Couple this with the boom in tourism, a near-perfect climate and a year-round rental market and international investors can do little better than to invest in this exciting market right now.

Joao Pessoa will today officially announce the opening of its new international school in January 2010. The city has seen the number of foreign residents rise over the past few years and the international school will provide a welcome enhancement to their educational options. Initial reactions indicate that the new school is also likely to prove highly popular amongst the local population as the city opens up more and more to the international stage.

This piece was written by Ginny Naish of Property Dreams Brazil, a real estate consultancy based in Joao Pessoa, North East Brazil. Property Dreams Brazil can provide advice with regard to investment property, land, re-location and property marketing. Please visit Property Dreams Brazil for further information on investment property in North East Brazil.

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Brazil is booming and for foreign travel and international property investments, it is currently the country of choice. People are flocking there in droves to enjoy its year-round climate, clear Atlantic waters, and vibrant atmosphere.

And Brazil is also home to some of the worlds most vibrant and healthy foods. The Amazon region is swathed in tropical fruits bursting with vitamins and antioxidants and these have rapidly found their way into Brazilian juice bars across the country. Pupunha, capuau, grumixama their names are as exotic as their flavours. It is one berry in particular though, that of the aai plant, that has almost single-handed sparked the health food celebration that is taking Brazil, the US and Europe by storm.

The benefits of acai are not a new discovery amongst the Brazilians. It has long been used by those in the know for its nutritional value as well as to enhance physical strength and boost energy levels. The fruit itself is grown on the native Amazonian acai palm and comes in the form of small, purplish berries roughly the size of a blueberry.

The reputation of this unassuming little berry is now well and truly blooming. Acai is jam-packed full of amino acids, essential omegas, fibers, antioxidants, phytonutrients, anthocyanins and protein, leading it to be hailed as the greatest superfood ever discovered. And if that’s not a compelling enough reputation, it has even been shown in preliminary trials to have the potential to fight cancer cells.

The most nutrient dense part of the berry is the skin and the pulp but in Brazil every part of the berry is used for different purposes, even the seed. Its juice and pulp are frequently used in juice blends, smoothies, sodas and other beverages. It has become one of the country’s most popular ice cream flavors and in recent years literally thousands of dedicated acai cafes have sprung up, serving acai na tigela ” literally acai in a bowl, served with honey and granola as a health food and energizer.

Acai is now being exported heavily as seeds or in juice, frozen fruit pulp or in dried and freeze-dried form.

Across the US and Europe, health food stores and the health conscious are waking up to the potential of acai and it is increasingly being used in capsule, pill and powder format for use as a dietary supplement. Its many benefits are certainly compelling ” boosting of immune function, mental focus, energy levels and a healthy digestive tract, not to mention its anti-ageing qualities. It has even earned itself the alternative name of the Brazilian Viagra!

As an aai convert, I firmly believe in a daily dose of this remarkable little berry. In fact I can almost feel the withdrawal symptoms if I miss my morning helping of acai na tigela. So why not book a flight to Brazil and find out for yourself just how good this thing tastes on home turf?

This piece was written by Ginny Naish the Marketing Director of Property Dreams Brazil, a real estate consultancy based in Joao Pessoa, Paraiba. Property Dreams Brazil can provide consultancy services with regard to property investment, land, re-location and real estate marketing. Please visit Property Dreams Brazil for more information on investing in North East Brazil.

Brazils real estate market is set for huge growth in the wake of the country’s latest oil finds, as the positive effects of a thriving oil market are felt throughout the Brazilian economy.

The Brazilian Finance Minister is confident that Brazil will become an oil super power in the next ten years as projections show that the country will have crude for half a century and will become a top ten oil exporter and an important player in international geopolitics.

The Finance Minister went on to say that Brazil will be producing 3.6 million barrels a day by 2017. Domestic demand in Brazil is projected at 2.6 million barrels, which would leave Brazil with a substantial surplus for export. The Government is also planning to invest in the petrochemical arena so that oil derivatives can be sold and not just crude.

Petrobras, the country’s leading manager of oil and gas exploration, has grown exponentially in the last 12 months in the wake of the continued oil finds. A recent survey by Ernst & Young ranked it as the worlds eighth biggest company in market value.

With the recent huge finds and massive leaps forward in technology accomplished by Petrobas, its market value has risen from $95.9 billion just over a year ago to $164.8 billion.

This September saw Petrobras announcing the discovery of another deposit of oil and natural gas in Brazil’s Santos Basin. This find was in conjunction with British Gas Group and the Spanish company, Repsol. The find was made after a fourth well was drilled in the BM-S-9 block off the country’s south-eastern coast.

This was the second find in less than a week in the Santos region and adds to the previous deposit that holds the equivalent of 1.2 to 2bn barrels of recoverable oil and gas. A company statement did not say how much larger the new discovery would make the reserves.

Petrobras will now concentrate its investment strategy on the domestic market, said Petrobras CEO Jose Sergio Gabrielli, who went on to explain that the primary objective now was not to continue investing overseas, but to ensure the effective development of all the recently-discovered offshore oil reserves.

President Lula da Silvas government is proposing assigning the dominant role in Brazils petroleum industry to Petrobras in a move to increase control over the energy sector. This is currently being debated in Congress.

The Government will give Petrobas operator status for all the oil and gas finds and will serve as the commercial outlet for sales of all oil derivatives, both domestic and international. There are also plans to create another state-owned company called, Petrosal, to manage the Governments oil and gas assets. Analysts predict that this company could eventually grow larger than Petrobas.

Speaking this week, Petrobras CEO, Jose Sergio Gabrielli announced We are in a fantastic moment. Brazil is cementing its future as a leading oil superpower and the positive effects will be felt throughout the Brazilian economy.