Business travellers heading to Belém for the UN Climate Conference are facing sticker shock. Data released on 26 November by Brazil’s statistics agency IBGE show that average hotel prices in the Amazonian capital soared 155 % in November compared with October, while airfares rose 25 %. The figures come from the IPCA-15 index, the official inflation preview used by corporate procurement teams to track cost pressures.
Behind the surge is an unprecedented influx of some 50 000 delegates, media and NGO staff who descended on the city between 6 and 22 November for the COP-30 leaders’ summit and negotiating sessions. The wave of demand pushed local accommodation to capacity, forcing late bookers into secondary cities or river-cruise “floatels”. Airlines responded by adding more than 120 charters and up-gauging trunk routes from Brasília, São Paulo and Miami, but capacity still lagged demand.
![COP-30 drives 155 % spike in Belém hotel rates and 25 % jump in airfares]()
For mobility and travel-management professionals, the numbers are a warning shot ahead of next year’s mega-events calendar, which includes the G20 finance ministers’ meeting and the Pan-American Games. Companies with operations in Pará are being advised to lock in negotiated hotel blocks early, hedge against fare volatility with split-ticketing strategies and review per-diem caps that no longer reflect market reality.
Local authorities, meanwhile, argue that the price spike is temporary and will be offset by a R$ 1.2 billion legacy package that expands Belém’s airport, adds e-gates to immigration halls and upgrades riverfront transit links—investments expected to cut future travel friction for both business and leisure visitors.
The IBGE will publish the full IPCA inflation figure on 10 December; analysts expect the hospitality component to remain elevated, though early-December data suggest prices are already easing as delegates depart.
Behind the surge is an unprecedented influx of some 50 000 delegates, media and NGO staff who descended on the city between 6 and 22 November for the COP-30 leaders’ summit and negotiating sessions. The wave of demand pushed local accommodation to capacity, forcing late bookers into secondary cities or river-cruise “floatels”. Airlines responded by adding more than 120 charters and up-gauging trunk routes from Brasília, São Paulo and Miami, but capacity still lagged demand.
For mobility and travel-management professionals, the numbers are a warning shot ahead of next year’s mega-events calendar, which includes the G20 finance ministers’ meeting and the Pan-American Games. Companies with operations in Pará are being advised to lock in negotiated hotel blocks early, hedge against fare volatility with split-ticketing strategies and review per-diem caps that no longer reflect market reality.
Local authorities, meanwhile, argue that the price spike is temporary and will be offset by a R$ 1.2 billion legacy package that expands Belém’s airport, adds e-gates to immigration halls and upgrades riverfront transit links—investments expected to cut future travel friction for both business and leisure visitors.
The IBGE will publish the full IPCA inflation figure on 10 December; analysts expect the hospitality component to remain elevated, though early-December data suggest prices are already easing as delegates depart.
