International tourists visiting Brazil in 2023 left a record amount of US$ 6.9 billion in the country, according to the Central Bank of Brazil. This figure exceeds the highest revenue from international tourism recorded in 2014, the year Brazil hosted the FIFA World Cup, by 1.5%. A decade ago, foreign visitors contributed a total of US$ 6.8 billion to our economy.
The target set in the National Tourism Plan was an 8.58% increase in revenue generated by international tourism in 2023, but the result was an annual growth of 41%. In 2022, international tourists left US$ 4.9 billion in Brazil. The new National Tourism Plan, approved at the end of January by the National Tourism Council, aims to reach US$ 8.1 billion by 2027.
“This historic record is the result of the work done by President Lula’s government, which reconnects Brazil with the world after 4 years of international isolation. The president always states that the Brazil of democracy, diversity, sustainability, and respect is back. The world understood the message and is embracing our country. We are very proud to be part of this story and to make tourism generate jobs, income, and improve the lives of Brazilians,” said Marcelo Freixo, president of Embratur.
The historic milestone occurs in a year of tourism recovery. In 2023, the entry of international tourists matched pre-pandemic levels: there were about 6 million visitors. This figure was 3% above the estimate from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a specialized agency of the UN. Additionally, the number of international tourists in 2023 corresponds to 93% of the entries in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. The visitor numbers are from Embratur’s Data Management, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism (MTur) and the Federal Police (PF).
CONNECTIVITY – The record in foreign exchange and the recovery in the number of international tourists equivalent to the pre-health crisis period are due, among other factors, to a series of actions by Embratur, including increased connectivity. In this case, both in 2019 and 2023, the number of flights offered by airlines was 64,800. This number is over 40% higher than in 2022, when the offer was 46,200.
Regarding the number of seats on flights, 2023 had an offer 32.47% greater than in 2022. It increased from 9.7 million in the previous year to 12.9 million in the last year, a figure that corresponds to 89.16% of the 2019 offer of 14.5 million. The numbers are part of a survey on the reception of international tourists in Brazil according to Embratur’s Data Information and Intelligence Management.
According to sector analysis, the recovery of the offer is important because air transport is the main means of arrival for international tourists to Brazil. The survey was prepared considering the end of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in May 2023.
Source: www.gov.br