The Ministry of Tourism reported that the year 2024 was the best in history for international tourism in Brazil. The country reached a record number of 6,657,377 foreign tourists in the year, an increase of 12.6% compared to the previous year. The consolidated data was released this Tuesday (7) by the ministry, the Brazilian Tourism Institute (Embratur) and the Federal Police. In December alone, 690,236 foreigners visited Brazil, a number 11.1% higher than that recorded in the same month in 2023 and the third best December in the historical series.
The states of São Paulo (2,207,015), Rio de Janeiro (1,513,235), Paraná (894,536) and Rio Grande do Sul (879,412) were the main entry points for foreign visitors in 2024. Proportionally, states such as Roraima ( 97%), Santa Catarina (71.7%), Bahia (52.8%) and Pará (47.4%), which will receive the COP30 at the end of the year, registered significant increases in the number of foreigners in their territories.
Argentines continue to lead the volume of international visitors arriving in Brazil. More than 1,953,548 Argentines disembarked in the country. The United States ranks second, having sent 696,512 tourists to the country. Chileans come close behind, with 651,776 visits to Brazilian destinations. Neighbors Paraguay and Uruguay, together, had more than 833,412 visitors.
“It is a joy to be able to publish such positive numbers for our country. This increase reflects our work to promote Brazil’s image abroad. Strategic advertising campaigns, structuring of destinations, participation in international fairs, our UN Tourism office in Rio de Janeiro and the strengthening of partnerships inside and outside the country boosted our visibility, highlighting the diversity of experiences that Brazil has to offer, such as landscapes natural resources and our cultural heritage”, said the Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino.
Two out of every three international tourists arriving in the country come by plane, a means of transport that remains the main access point for these visitors. Land transport accounts for 28.7% of the total.
“The growth in the number of international visitors is one of the main goals of the National Tourism Plan (PNT) 2024-2027, which aims to consolidate Brazil as the main tourist destination in South America. Our expectation is to surpass the mark of 8 .1 million foreign tourists per year, generating more than US$8.1 billion in revenue and further strengthening the national economy”, added Sabino.
Until November 2024, the amount spent by foreign tourists in the country totaled US$6.62 billion, the highest figure recorded for the months of November since 1995. The number is 5.3% higher than that for the same period in 2023 (US$6 .29 billion) and exceeds the value for the same period in 2014 (US$6.30 billion), when the country hosted the Football World Cup.
For 2025, the federal government announced that the new regionalized notices of the International Tourism Acceleration Program forecast R$63.6 million in investments to attract new flights on national routes. The expectation is that at least 500,000 new seats will be offered within a year. This number already impacts the record number of international flight seats for the 2024/2025 summer season: there will be 7.48 million, an increase of 19% compared to the summer of 2023/2024.
