Brazil beats record of foreign visitors in 2016

Brazil beat the record of foreign visitors in 2016 with 6.6 million people. In the year in which the country hosted the Olympics and the Paralympics, an increase of 4.8% of international tourist arrivals was recorded, when compared with the previous year.

The historical flow of people injected $6.2 billion into the Brazilian economy. The value is 6.2% higher than the one posted in 2015. The inflow of resources has not beaten the record as the number of visitors due to foreign exchange variations.

Data were released today (Jan. 4) by the Ministry of Tourism, with information from the Central Bank and the Federal Police. "The numbers are extremely positive. When compared to the international context, they show that we can still make a great progress, but they also confirmed that we have been able to benefit from the mega events held in the country," said Tourism Minister Marx Beltrão.

The majority of visitors came from Latin America and the United States. Among Latinos, visitors from Argentina ranked first as usual: 2.1 million tourists. U.S. visitors came second, with 600,000. Followed by visitors from Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, France, Germany, Italy, England, Portugal and Spain, which also appear on the list.

For 50% of the tourists, their trip had leisure purposes. About 30% have been influenced by friends and relatives to make the decision to come to Brazil, and 40% got information on the internet.

For 2017, the expectation is an increased flow in Brazil due to the positive feedback given by tourists heard by the Ministry of Tourism during the Games. The survey shows that more than 87% of foreign visitors intend to visit Brazil again.

To ensure the continuity of an increasing tourist flow, the government is preparing a set of measures to be launched in the first half of 2017. "This year the challenge faced by the Ministry of Tourism is to turn this positive view into job creation, is to make the desire of the foreign tourist to return to Brazil a reality, and to get Brazilians more familiar with domestic destinations. For this, we are investing in improving the infrastructure, the labor skills, and in promoting our destinations," reported the ministry.

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta