According to the Ministry of Tourism, in partnership with Embratur and the Federal Police, Brazil received 5,908,341 international visitors in 2023, slightly below the 2019 level when 6.3 million foreigners visited the country.
Although the number of international tourists is slightly below the projections made by Embratur's president, Marcelo Freixo, who hoped to welcome six million visitors in 2023, seven million in 2024, and eight million in 2025, he still celebrated the result.
Freixo said that the change in government and the shift in environmental policy, respect for democracy, and human rights have increased interest in Brazil. He added that Brazil has transformed from being known as the enemy of humanity to the best ecotourism destination on the planet.
Minister of Tourism Celso Sabino is optimistic about Brazil's tourism industry and believes the country is close to achieving pre-pandemic levels. The Brazilian Ministry of Tourism has implemented various initiatives to develop and promote tourist destinations. Minister Sabino is confident that these efforts will help Brazil surpass the number of international tourists it had in 2019 by 2024.
According to the data, the Brazilian economy has received R$31 billion due to international tourism, which is higher than the pre-pandemic levels. In November, the amount reached R$3 billion, 13.3% more than the previous record set in 2011. The historical data, which dates back to 1995, reveals the highest figure. In the upcoming weeks, the Central Bank will release the consolidated statistics, which includes December figures.
Brazil's primary source of tourists is Argentina, with 1.9 million visitors, accounting for 32% of the total and representing 96% of the number of visitors in 2019. The United States follows with 668,500 visitors (11%), Chile with 458,500 visitors (7.7%), Paraguay with 424,500 visitors (7.1%), and Uruguay with 334,700 visitors (5.6%). Portugal comes in second with 158,500 tourists (3%) and France is the sixth-largest source of visitors in Europe with 187,500 (3.1%). Germany completes the top 10 with 158,500 (2.6%), the United Kingdom with 130,200 (2.2%), and Italy with 129,400 (2.2%).
The states that had the highest number of international tourists were São Paulo, with 2,107,179 visitors; Rio de Janeiro, with 1,192,814 visitors; Rio Grande do Sul, with 1,000,909 visitors; Paraná, with 791,536 visitors; and Santa Catarina, with 288,429 visitors. The most popular mode of transportation was by air, with 3,794,260 arrivals, followed by land, with 1,923,243 arrivals.