Number of tourists in Brazil hits new record in 2017

In 2017, Brazil saw the highest number of incoming foreigners in its history, the Ministry of Tourism reported. Altogether, 6,588,770 tourists landed in national territory. The figures were obtained after data comparison with the Federal Police.

Visitors added up to 42 thousand more than 2016, when the country had broken its record on account of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The amount also surpassed the entries registered in 2014 (6,429,852), the year when Brazil hosted the World Cup.

Brazil’s Latin American neighbors were responsible for the increase in 2017. They account for 62.4% of all foreigners last year—some 4.1 million people. Furthermore, these countries sent 500 thousand more tourists to Brazil than they did in 2016—up 11.1%.

On the list with the biggest tourist-sending countries, Argentina is still at the top, with 2,622,327 visitors, 14.3% more than 2016. The nation represents nearly 40% of all international tourists coming to Brazil.

Second comes the US, with 475.2 thousand travelers—down 7% from the year before. Despite the fall, the government reported an 87% expansion in the issuance of tourist visas for US nationals early in 2018—when the electronic visa was introduced—which cuts the wait for a traveling permit by up to three months.

Ranking third among the countries is Chile, with 342.1 thousand entries last year, 5.2% more than 2016.

Gateway cities

São Paulo is the main gateway for foreign travelers entering the country: it receives 2,144,606, or 32.5%, of all international tourists coming to Brazil, followed by Rio de Janeiro, with 1,355,616, 20.5%. Rio Grande do Sul is third, with 1.27 million tourists.

Also according to official data, despite having experienced a 4.2% slip, airplanes are still the main means of transportation for international tourists. Of all foreigners traveling to Brazil in 2017, 63.5% (4.183 million) arrived through the air, compared to 2.22 million who came through highways (34.15%). Another 52.5 thousand (0.8%) came by sea, and 97.1 thousand newcomers (1.4%) arrived through rivers.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira