Despite risks, Brazil’s colonial cities reopen for tourism

With their traditional colonial architecture and cobblestone streets, cities dotted along the so-called Royal Road — which once connected the gold mines in the state of Minas Gerais to the coast of Rio de Janeiro — are a Brazilian tourism hotpot. Since the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic, however, these locations have turned into something resembling ghost towns. One video posted by local business owners, using drone footage, toured the streets of the colonial town of Tiradentes, showing the tourist hotspot in a deserted state, with empty squares that are usually filled with visitors from around Brazil and the world. The region’s hugely important Easter celebrations — massive money spinners thanks to the countless World Heritage site churches along the Royal Road — were canceled, and the resulting economic hardship has hit locals hard.

In some of these towns, up to 90 percent of family income is dependent on tourism. With desperation setting in, many of these cities decided to reopen business during last week’s Corpus Christi holiday. And the demand was there....