The arrival of international tourists to Brazil grew by 10.7% from January to August, compared to the same period in 2023, reinforcing the trend of increasing presence of these visitors in the country. This is what the data from the Ministry of Tourism (MTur) reveal, compiled in collaboration with Embratur and the Federal Police and released this Friday (20): in total, 4.452 million foreign travelers landed in national destinations. There were 431.7 thousand more tourists than in the first eight months of 2023.
The result also represents an increase of 1% compared to the number recorded from January to August 2019 (43,300 more arrivals), even before the Covid-19 pandemic.
In August this year alone, 417,900 international travelers visited Brazilian cities, a figure 14.5% higher than in the same month in 2023.
Tourism Minister Celso Sabino believes that the good figures indicate the acceleration of tourism activity. “The data reflect a growing interest in our country, which offers attractions for all profiles. We remain firm in our mission to prepare Brazil to receive more and more foreign tourists, through actions such as improving air connectivity with other countries and strengthening the promotion of the country abroad,” he emphasizes.
From January to August, Argentina was the main source of travelers to Brazil (1.374 million), followed by the United States (461.3 thousand) and Chile (399.5 thousand). São Paulo received the largest share (1.2 million), and Rio de Janeiro (868.3 thousand) and Rio Grande do Sul (647.7 thousand) completed the ranking of the three main states in arrivals.
International tourists arrived mainly by air (2.896 million), and another 1.396 million by land.
“These are results that reflect the success of our international promotion strategy for Brazil, focused on showing our diversity of destinations beyond the obvious, showing the world many fantastic experiences that can only be experienced in Brazil. Interest in getting to know Brazil has increased and we are working intensively, in partnership with airlines, to open more international flights to ensure the arrival of more and more tourists. In 2024 alone, air connectivity growth is 20% and the projection is that we will have the best summer season in history,” highlights the president of Embratur, Marcelo Freixo.
Impacts
The high flow of visitors to Brazil from other countries is reflected in the movement of the national economy. From January to July 2024, according to the Central Bank, spending by foreign tourists totaled R$ 23.7 billion, almost a billion more than in the same period in 2023.
Last year, Brazil welcomed 5.9 million international visitors and set a record in foreign exchange earnings: $6.9 billion, surpassing 2014, the year of the World Cup.
The data published this Friday also corroborate the positive development figures in the area. According to IBGE, for example, the volume of tourist services in Brazil in July of this year exceeded by 6.8% that of February 2020. Fecomercio-SP indicates that Brazilian tourism earned R$ 95.3 billion in the first half of 2024, the best result since 2019 and 1.9% above what was seen in the same period in 2023.
Source: EMBRATUR.