São Paulo – Foreign tourists spent USD 6.9 billion in Brazil in 2023, according to data made public on Monday (5) by the country’s central bank and reproduced by the Brazilian Tourist Board (Embratur). According to Embratur, the 2023 target established in the National Tourism Plan had been a growth of 8.58%, but the expansion reached 40.8% from 2022, when foreigners had spent USD 4.9 billion in Brazil.
Embratur chair Marcelo Freixo (pictured) said that last year’s result reflects the governtment’s efforts to present Brazil to the world. “President [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva] is constantly saying that the Brazil of democracy, diversity, sustainability and respect is back. The world got the message and has embraced our country. We’re proud to be part of this history and help make tourism create jobs, income, and improve the life of Brazilians,” he said.
Embratur added that the increased number of tourists is also due to the increase of international flights to Brazil. Both 2023 and 2019, before the pandemic, saw 64,800 international flights to Brazil. In 2022, they were 46,200.
The number of seats, though, is still lower than 2019’s, when 14.5 million seats were offered. In 2023 12.9 million were offered, and in 2022 9.7 million. The industry’s target, according to the National Tourism Plan approved in January by Embratur, is that USD 8.1 billion are spent by foreign tourists.
Translation by Guilherme Miranda
