Since international borders opened earlier this year, revenue from tourism in Brazil has increased exponentially. The latest figures show a similar income to 2016 when Brazil hosted the Olympics. In tandem, domestic tourism is also booming and, in August, registered its best result since 2015.
Revenue from tourism in Brazil back on track
According to data from the Brazilian Central Bank, accumulated revenue exceeded US$3.6 billion in the first nine of this year. The figure is well ahead of the amounts registered in the same period during 2021 and 2020.
March stands as the record month for revenue from tourism in Brazil so far this year. It registered US$453 million income. In January, revenue stood at US$421 million and in August, US$431 million.
Foreign tourists spent around US$416 million. This revenue is the highest since September 2016, when Brazil hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. On this occasion, income reached US$446 million.
International tourism returns
For the President of the Brazilian Tourism Agency, Embratur, the latest data shows that tourism has returned to Brazil. “The numbers indicate a reset for tourism after the pandemic,” said Silvio Nascimento.
He also believes that the increase in revenue from tourism in Brazil reflects the rise in tourism in the country generally. In the first nine months of this year, Brazil welcomed around 1.8 million foreign visitors. In September alone, they numbered 192,000, although the figure still lags behind the 287,000 who arrived in September 2019.
However, Embratur is confident that 2022 will close with similar international visitor figures to 2019.
Domestic tourism shining bright
However, the Brazilian tourist industry relies most on domestic visitors and here, too, numbers are extremely positive. According to estimates based on data from the Brazilian Statistical Institute (IBGE), revenue from Brazilian tourists reached record levels in August. In this month, income stood at R$17.6 billion, the highest level for August since 2015.
In popular holiday spots in Brazil, revenue from tourism has been posting solid results throughout the year. For example, in Ceará in Northeast Brazil, it surpassed R$1 billion in July.
All sectors experiencing upticks
Air traffic has experienced one of the highest upticks over the last 12 months in Brazil. Year-on-year growth reached 72.8% in September. In August, passenger numbers totalled 7.29 million, up 30% on August 2021. Furthermore, the figure was just shy of the 7.9 million registered in August 2019.
Hotel accommodation in Brazil has also seen strong growth in the last year. Activity in the hospitality sector rose by 23.1% in the year to September.
(Sources: Brazilian Central Bank, Embratur)
