The expenses of foreign tourists in Brazil smashed a new record in the first two months of 2018. During this period, the tourist revenue accumulated US$ 1.39 billion, US$ 611 million only in February.
In the last month, for instance, the peak of the volume of foreign tourists spending in the country was 14.2% higher, compared to the same period of 2017, which amounted to US$ 535 million. The information disclosed by Mtur (Ministry of Tourism) is based on data from the Central Bank.
In the evaluation of Marx Beltrão, Minister of Tourism, the numbers reiterate the accuracy of some measures enforced by the federal government. He particularly emphasizes the creation of the e-Visa, which facilitated the granting of visas for American, Canadian, Japanese and Australian tourists. With the electronic visa, the process takes on average 72 hours, compared to the 40 days previously required.
“In February, the applications for entry to Brazil registered a growth of 76%. The data show that we are on the right path to simplify the arrivals and increasingly stimulate the economy and the creation of employment and income through tourism,” he assesses.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from November (the month when the e-Visa was created) to February, Brazil has already issued 24.553 online documents. In the last month, there were 25.6 thousand approvals, of which 18.328 were digital, which is equivalent to 72% of the total.
In turn, the expenses of Brazilians abroad were US$ 1.41 billion in February. The result is 3.17% higher than the one achieved in the same month of 2017, when the volume hit US$ 1.36 billion. From January to February, the expenditures reached US$ 3.41 billion, a result 15.85% higher than the first two months of last year (US$ 2.94 billion).
The data from the tourist currency revenue and expenditure take into account the use of credit cards and official currency exchanges.