The visa waiver launched in Brazil in June 2019 for tourists from the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan, has yielded the first results for the tourism sector. The latest data from the Federal Police show a 16% growth in the arrivals of American, Canadian and Australian visitors between June and December.
During the 7-month period, a total of 321.712 people from the three countries arrived to Brazil, compared to 277.421 in the same months of 2018. Of the four exempted countries, Japan was the only one that registered a drop (- 9%).
Regarding the numbers, the United States was the country with the highest number of new tourists in Brazilian territory during this period: 34.932 more visitors which represents an increase of 14.8%. Canada sent 6.650 more tourists, a positive impact amounting to 26%. The number of Australian travelers increased by 16.3%, equivalent to 2,709 more tourists.
For the Minister of Tourism, Marcelo Álvaro Antônio, the figures show the positive impact of the visa waiver: “We can see that this was another wise decision by President Jair Bolsonaro to stimulate the Brazilian economy and make tourism in the country reach the level it deserves. It is a strategic opening, with great potential to contribute to the generation of foreign exchange, employment and income through tourism in our country”, he cherished.
Despite the boom in the three countries, Japanese arrivals fell 4.47% during 2019. “It is important to evaluate the case of Japan so that, with the new Embratur, we can work on the massive promotion of Brazil in this country and increase Japanese tourists in our country,” the minister pondered.
According to the World Tourism Organization, travel simplification measures can lead to an increase of up to 25% in the flow of travelers among countries. Another technical data that supported the Brazilian government’s decision to exempt strategic countries was a survey made during the 2016 Olympic Games. For 82.2% of the foreigners in the four countries that benefited from the measure, the visa exemption would make it easier for them to return to Brazil in the future.