Brazil was one of the slowest countries to resume the entry of foreign tourists after the pandemic, but figures for 2023 show that the country has quickly caught up. In Q1 this year, international tourism in Brazil exceeded the levels recorded in 2019. In addition, spending by foreign tourists registered record levels in March.
International tourism in Brazil surges in the first quarter
The recent summer season in Brazil saw a surge in international visitors. In the first three months of this year, more than 2.3 million tourists chose the country as their holiday location. The figure is well ahead of 2022 and significantly, higher than the same period in 2019 when Brazil welcomed 2.29 million foreigners.
March registered particularly solid figures, with 557,200 visitors from abroad. The majority, around one-third, came from Argentina and 13.2% from the US. Tourists from Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile made up around 16%.
Foreign spending sets record in March
Spending figures reflect the uptick in foreign visitors, particularly in March. According to the Central Bank of Brazil, international tourists spent over US$1.7 billion in the first quarter of this year, 38% more than the same period in 2022.
In tandem with its high visitor figures, March also registered significant spending. The total reached US$570 million, the highest figure for March for the last six years. The month comes quickly behind February, when tourism in Brazil saw the best figures for four years.
Business travel has record March
In addition to the excellent results for international tourism in Brazil, business travel enjoyed its best March ever. Revenue in the sector soared by 44% during the month, indicating that corporate tourism has returned to the table.
The Brazilian Association of Corporate Travel (ABRACORP) reports that revenue in the sector reached R$1.28 billion in March, the highest on record. The figure also represents a 44% increase on the same month in 2019, the last year from tourism without pandemic restrictions.
Air travel accounted for the largest share of income, with R$820 million in revenue during March. Hotels for business travel also saw a significant rise in income, with an uptick of 48% compared to 2019.
“To give us an idea, no month in 2019 experienced similar levels,” said Gervasio Tanabe, Executive President of ABRACORP. “All these indicators show that business travel is heating up, not just with traditional business travel, but also with events that are returning quickly.”
May holiday figures
Further evidence of the buoyancy of Brazil’s tourism this year came in predicted figures for the recent May holiday. The Ministry of Tourism predicted that over 2.5 million people would travel through the country’s airports during the three-day weekend.
The authorities expect total revenue from the May holiday to reach R$2.73 billion in the preferred destinations. According to the vacation portal Decolar, Brazil’s favourite holiday spots for the May holiday were in Northeast Brazil, with the trio of Fortaleza, Salvador and Recife all in the top five. Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro completed the nation’s favourite rankings.
(Source: Ministry of Tourism)
