The girl from Ipanema is living it up . . . in New York City.
The number of Brazilians visiting Gotham has nearly tripled in recent years and they spend more per day here than any group of international travelers — five times as much as the thriftiest visitors, Indians, according to city stats.
With a favorable monetary exchange rate and a staggering 18 percent sales tax at home, 701,000 Brazilians flocked to the Big Apple last year, up from 251,000 in 2007. They shell out about $415 per day, averaging $2,602 during their average visit of about six days, stocking up on small appliances, designer clothes and electronics that cost double at home, according to Fred Dixon, head of tourism and convention development at NYC & Company.
Here’s a look at the spending habits of nations sending us their huddled, deep-pocketed masses:
BRAZIL
* Visitors per year: 701,000
* Spent per day: $415
* Spent per trip: $2,602
Droves of Brazilians flocking to Macy’s inspired the department store to hire Portuguese translators and create a Brazil-themed flower show. They’re the biggest group of tourists at the Olive Garden in Times Square, according to a hostess there.
NETHERLANDS
* Visitors per year: 354,000
* Spent per day: $222
* Spent per trip: $1,330
Tourists from Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg love cycling in the city and celebrating our Dutch origins, according to Consul General Rob De Vos. “Dutch landscape architect Piet Oudolf worked on the High Line and Battery Park,” said De Vos. “When I walk in those areas, I hear a lot of Dutch.”
CHINA & HONG KONG
* Visitors per year: 327,000
* Spent per day: $292
* Spent per trip: $3,297
Chinese tourists go gaga for designer brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. “They can buy it at home, but there’s a cachet to buying it in NYC,” said Dixon. Last year, visits increased 23 percent, as the government made obtaining visas easier.
JAPAN
* Visitors per year: 259,000
* Spent per day: $247
* Spent per trip: $1,482
Japanese tourists enthralled by hip-hop culture flock to Harlem. “Japanese have a fascination with African-American culture,” said Dixon. “They get their hair braided in Harlem, they enjoy the soul food, and they love the gospel churches.”
FRANCE
* Visitors per year: 636,000
* Spent per day: $203
* Spent per trip: $1,661
French tourists took time out from their usual stops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA last year and flocked to the TriBeCa town house where disgraced IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was under house arrest for six weeks.
INDIAN
* Visitors per year: 195,000
* Spent per day: $88
* Spent per trip: $971
Indian tourists are referred to as a “VFR” market — visiting friends and relatives. “There’s a large family component,” said Dixon. “They stay for a longer length of time, sometimes up to a month, and they explore the outer boroughs.”
UNITED KINGDOM
* Visitors per year: 1 million
* Spent per day: $249
* Spent per trip: $1,350
Brits are flocking to NYC largely because of their favorable pounds -to-dollars exchange rate, a city spokeswoman said. “They bargain-shop at places like Century 21 and Woodbury Commons,” said Emily Mayrath, spokeswoman for NYC & Company.
AUSTRALIA
* Visitors per year: 533,000
* Spent per day: $298
* Spent per trip: $2,679
The Aussies love name-brand clothes, but also party the most of any tourist group — frequenting at Meatpacking District nightclubs.