The Rio de Janeiro state government released the first round of the 2025 Carnival celebrations, which took place the first week of March. According to the Brazilian Association of the Hotel Industry of Rio de Janeiro (ABIH-RJ), downtown Rio de Janeiro led the way in hotel occupancy, with a nearly full occupancy rate (99.37%), followed by the neighborhoods of Leme-Copacabana (99.18%), Flamengo-Botafogo (99.05%), Ipanema-Leblon (98.82%), and Barra de Tijuca-Recreio-São Conrado (96.69%). In the state's interior, the average occupancy rate was 87.74%, compared to 81.24% in 2024. Carnival celebrations brought around 300,000 international tourists to the country, although these figures are provisional.
According to the National Confederation of Goods, Services, and Tourism (CNC), temporary jobs for Carnival in the state grew by 8.6%. Furthermore, from January to early February 2025, more than 2,100 new businesses linked to Carnival were created in Rio de Janeiro, indicating the economic impact the festival has on the state of Rio de Janeiro. The estimate, based on data from the General Registry of Employees and Unemployed (Caged), is that the festival generated 70,000 jobs, benefiting sectors such as commerce, services, and tourism.
Record Summer
In the first two months of 2025, Brazil welcomed 2,810,553 international tourists, 57% more than the same period in 2024. In February alone, there were 1,326,884 arrivals to Brazilian destinations, an increase of 59.2%, the second consecutive record of the year, because 1.48 million international travelers arrived in January. The data was released by the Ministry of Tourism, in partnership with the Brazilian International Tourism Promotion Agency (Embratur), and the Federal Police.
The region with the most significant increase in the number of tourists in January and February was southern Brazil, specifically the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, with an increase of 102% and 72%, respectively, compared to the first two months of 2024. The total number of international tourists who landed in Brazil through the states of Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná in January and February 2025 reached 1,586,966, a jump of 43% compared to the same months of the previous year.
Tourism also saw an increase in foreign currency earnings for Brazil: in the first month of the year, international visitors brought in a total of US$805 million, 11.7% higher than last December and the highest figure ever recorded for the period.
For Embratur President Marcelo Freixo, the record influx indicates that Brazil is finally living up to its tourism potential. "In the first two months of the year, we reached visitor arrival levels above any projection, even the most optimistic. Brazil has become fashionable, it has gone viral. Today, the world wants to know the Brazil of (actress) Fernanda Torres, of funk, of the Amazon, the Brazil that is a global reference for its joy, its culture, but also for the values of our people, the exaltation of our diversity, and the defense of democracy. We are transforming our potential into reality," affirmed Marcelo Freixo.
Source: Embratur.