Boa Viagem is a neighborhood in the city of Recife, Pernambuco in the privileged southern zone of the town. The neighborhood has one of the most visited beaches in Northeastern Brazil, Boa Viagem beach.
Thousands regularly gather on its wide sandy beaches that stretch for 8km. However, the beach is plagued by tiger shark attacks since Suape port was built in the 1990s. Boa Viagem is the longest stretch of urbanized seafront in Brazil; its coastal reef calms the waves and helps keep the water at 25°C. Pina, Recife and Piedade, Jaboatão are the neighboring beaches.
This upper-middle class district acts as the center of the city's social life. It hosts one of the biggest shopping centers in Brazil and South America—Shopping Center Recife with 465 stores and nearly 2000000sqft of area. Most of Recife's best hotels are in Boa Viagem, as well as many outdoor cafes, restaurants, and a lively nightclub scene. Every night, Boa Viagem beach is lit up, allowing bathers to swim at night and attracting many young people. The hotels can fill up during the summer months from December to March.
The neighborhood of Boa Viagem is the most populated in Recife with 100,388 inhabitants. It had the highest human development index (highest human development index in 2000 with 0.964, (equal to or greater than the indexes of some Scandinavian countries, Japan, and Canada).
The neighborhood is near the Recife International Airport.