Founded in 1554 by Jesuit priests, São Paulo was born destined to be the economic and cultural heart of the country. From the arrival of the first immigrants who settled here for the work in the coffee-growing sector, at the end of the 19th century, the city has seen a trajectory of constant growth.

The world's fourth largest city and Latin America's biggest, São Paulo is Brazil's main gateway for foreign visitors, arriving by air, totaling 1,623,543 arrivals in 2001. Business tourism has made the countrycity a strategic point within Mercosul, linked directly to the main world capitals.

Therefore, it is not without reason that today, in Brazil, things happen first in São Paulo, a city that houses 6% of the Brazilian population, represents around 9% of the national GNP and commands the country's third largest budget.

Distances between the capitals and São Paulo

• Aracaju 2,177 km / 1,353 miles
• Belém 2,933 km / 1,822.5 miles
• Belo Horizonte 586 km / 364 miles
• Boa Vista 4,756 km / 2,955 miles
• Brasília 1,015 km / 631 miles
• Campo Grande 1,014 km / 630 miles
• Cuiabá 1,614 km / 1,003 miles
• Curitiba 408 km / 253.5 miles
• Florianópolis 705 km / 438 miles
• Fortaleza 3,127 km / 1,943 miles
• Foz do Iguaçu 1,047 km / 650 miles
• Goiânia 926 km / 575 miles
• João Pessoa 2,770 km / 1,721 miles
• Maceió 2,453 km / 1,524 miles
• Manaus 3,971 km / 2,468 miles
• Natal 2,947 km / 1,831 miles
• Palmas 1,776 km / 1,104 miles
• Porto Alegre 1,109 km / 689 miles
• Recife 2,660 km / 1,653 miles
• Rio Branco 3,604 km / 2,239.5 miles
• Rio de Janeiro 429 km / 267 miles
• Salvador 1,962 km / 1,219 miles
• São Luís 2,970 km / 1,845.5 miles
• Teresina 2,792 km / 1,735 miles
• Vitória 882 km / 548 miles

Business in São Paulo

Every year the city hosts the largest number of events, totaling 90,000, with the number of participants and visitors being in excess of 15 million people.

Currently, São Paulo represents the largest national consumer market, a fact that attracts the biggest Brazilian fairs. 75% of the main fairs that take place in the country are held in São Paulo.

The city's leadership as regards the quality of its hotel network is unquestionable, comparable to the world's best and in constant growth. Currently, there are about 42,000 accommodation units, spread across the different categories.