Foreign tourists leave a record volume of US$6.9 billion in Brazil

growth

This year’s Carnival is expected to see a greater movement of people visiting Brazil

The volume of resources left by foreign tourists in 2023 in Brazil was a record – US$6.9 billion, equivalent to R$34.5 billion – and led the country to take the lead in South America in terms of revenue in the sector, according to the ranking of 20 countries released this Monday (5) by the UN Tourism agency.

Brazil also holds second place in post-pandemic recovery in the Americas, with an increase of 15% compared to the pre-pandemic period, behind only Mexico, and occupies 14th position in the world. Mexico appears in tenth place. According to the UN Tourism survey, the country with the highest growth in revenue left by foreigners was Serbia, with 79%.

The resources injected last year into the Brazilian economy by visitors from abroad exceed by 1.5% the highest revenue obtained from international tourism, recorded in 2014, when the country hosted the football World Cup. The target established in the National Tourism Plan was an increase of 8.58% in revenue generated by international tourism in 2023, but the result obtained showed annual growth of 41%. In 2022, international tourists left US$4.9 billion in Brazil.

The Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, said that the record number was the result of several efforts undertaken by the federal government “to show Brazil to the world, the way Brazil really is”. Sabino recalled the various visits made by President Lula to other countries and I highlight that Brazil was recognized by the World Bank as the ninth largest economy on the planet at the end of last year.

“Our country has even been called upon to mediate war conflicts around the world. You see President Lula’s agenda being disputed by both the President of Russia and the President of Ukraine, for example. There is a massive campaign to promote our main attractions in the international market, at major fairs. And today, we are able to celebrate the record R$34.5 billion spent by foreign tourists in 2023”,

he said.

In August last year, when Brazil surpassed the historic mark for the month, the minister already began to envision that 2023 would present itself as a year of good numbers for tourism.

Perspectives

Celso Sabino said he believes this year’s result will be even better. He highlighted that there was a record attendance at New Year’s Eve parties held across the country, and highlighted that Fortaleza registered, in a single day of the event, 1 million people.

“Maceió breaking attendance records, like Salvador, Recife, Rio de Janeiro. The belief that our country is a tourist attraction and presents all the conditions for undertaking tourism, both by foreigners and nationals, is gaining momentum and an organic and very rapid form”,

he emphasized.

For the minister, this year’s carnival should see a greater movement of people visiting Brazil for tourism. Research by the Ministry of Tourism indicates that more than a third of the Brazilian population is expected to go on tourism in the version until March, with a large part of this public being at Carnival.

“Cities are organizing themselves, preparing for this. The federal government has provided support, through the Ministries of Tourism, Regional Development, Cities, Health, Education, Ports and Airports, so that Brazilians and tourists who come to enjoy the summer here, until March, have all conditions of comfort, convenience, safety and infrastructure”,

he added.

The new National Tourism Plan, approved at the end of January by the National Tourism Council, established the goal of reaching, in 2027, the amount of US$8.1 billion.

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