In 2023, Brazil received the same number of international tourists as before the Covid-19 pandemic. In the 12 months to date, the country has received exactly 5,908,341 visitors from abroad. The figure is 3% higher than the estimate of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for Brazil, and 62.7% higher than the accumulated figure for 2022, when the country received 3.6 million tourists. In 2019, there were 6.3 million foreigners. The data is the result of a partnership between Embratur, the Ministry of Tourism (MTur) and the Federal Police (PF).
"We are very close to reaching the pre-pandemic numbers and with the set of actions and programs that the Ministry of Tourism has been establishing in the field of structuring and promoting destinations, we will exceed the number of international tourists in 2019 in 2024. What is even more important is to increase the average ticket and the total value left by foreigners in our country and that is what we are working on," said the Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino.
The president of Embratur, Marcelo Freixo, celebrated the result. "Interest in Brazil has returned thanks to the change of government and the subsequent change of course in our environmental policy, respect for democracy and human rights. We went from being the enemy of humanity to the best ecotourism destination on the planet. This result It means generation of employment and income throughout the country, in an economic activity that is only good for Brazil," he stated.
From January to November of last year, international tourism contributed 31 billion reais to the Brazilian economy, above pre-pandemic levels. In November alone, it was 3,000 million reais, 13.3% more than in 2011, until then the best year in the historical series (since 1995). The consolidated figures for 2023, with the month of December, will be published by the Central Bank in the coming weeks. For Freixo, the technical work carried out by Embratur in the international promotion of Brazilian tourism allowed a 62.7% increase in tourist arrivals in just one year.
"This result was only possible because the increase in interest in Brazil was accompanied by very efficient work by our team to attract new international flights, which resulted in a 40% increase in air connectivity. And from where each new flight took off "We act with an advertising and business generation strategy with Brazilian and foreign companies, placing our destinations on the international shelf," he added.
More tourists from South America
Argentina continues to be the main country of origin of tourists to Brazil, with 1.9 million visitors (32% of the total), which is equivalent to 96% of the total for 2019. It is followed by the United States with 668,500 (11%), Chile with 458,500 (7.7%), Paraguay with 424,500 (7.1%) and Uruguay with 334,700 (5.6%). France is the main issuing country in Europe and ranks sixth with 187,500 tourists (3.1%), followed by Portugal with 158,500 (3%). Germany with 158,500 (2.6%), the United Kingdom with 130,200 (2.2%) and Italy with 129,400 (2.2%) complete the Top 10.
In 2023, the arrival of Chileans was a record, the highest in the historical series, which once again placed the country in third place among the main emitters, surpassing Paraguay and resuming the position it occupied until 2018. However, the Arrivals from Paraguay also grew and reached the best result since 1999, when the number of tourists from the country rose to 501,000.
The 5.9 million international tourists in 2023 correspond to 93% of the arrivals of the last year before the pandemic. In December, the number of international tourists who entered Brazil was 621,171. This is 17.4% more than in December 2022, which was 529,038. In this case, the mark corresponds to 95.2% of the data from 2019, when the number of visitors from abroad to the country amounted to 652,099.
The states with the highest number of tourist arrivals were São Paulo, with 2,107,179, Rio de Janeiro, with 1,192,814, Río Grande do Sul, with 1,000,909, Paraná, with 791,536, and Santa Catarina, with 288,429. The main access route was by air, with 3,794,260 arrivals, followed by land, with 1,923,243.