Published by Jamie JemmesonThere is a lot more to Brazil than the beaches and nightclubs of Rio de Janeiro, Lonely Planet has reminded travellers.Comments from Tom Hall, the travel editor of the guide series, came in response to a report from companiesandmarkets.com showing that Brazil's tourism industry is set for a swift recovery in 2010.Responding, Mr Hall said that the country offers a robust appeal to many different types of travellers and the tourism industry is growing across the country.He explained that while in the south Sao Paolo is offering a serious challenge to Rio's reputation as the cultural capital, in the north-east travellers are starting to explore the many pristine white-sand beaches in the region."It's a huge country, it's hugely varied. It's somewhere that still offers quite good value as a destination. It also is probably somewhere whose time has come as a destination," he said.For this reason, Brazil may appeal to property investors as well as tourists, although both may benefit from researching foreign exchange rates thoroughly as the Brazilian real was the top-performing currency in 2009.For more information on purchasing currency for regular or one-off payments, visit our Personal FX site