São Paulo – Brazil welcomed a record-high number of foreign tourists last year, outpacing even 2014, when it hosted the FIFA World Cup, and 2016, when it was home to the Olympic Games. A Brazilian Ministry of Tourism survey quoting Federal Police data shows that 6.589 million tourists visited Brazil in 2017.
In 2014, the year of the World Cup, 6.429 million international travelers flocked to the country. Two years later, when Rio de Janeiro hosted the Olympics, 6.546 million foreigners travelled to Brazil. Last year’s result was up 0.6% from that previous all-time high.
According to the Ministry, South American tourists drove the hike, with an 11.1% increase from 3.87 million in 2016 to 4.1 million last year, and accounting for 62.4% of total numbers.
Some Arab countries are included in the Ministry’s list. The highlight is Morocco, at 5,986 travelers, up 22.1% from 2016. Next is Lebanon at 2,577 tourists, down 16%, and Syria at 2,333 visitors, up 9.8%.
Also on the list are Egypt, with a 39.5% drop to 2,079 visitors, Tunisia, down 32.4% to 1,374 visitors, and Saudi Arabia, down 26% to 907 travelers.
Argentina remained the number one source of tourists to Brazil at 2.622 million, up 14.3% from 2016. Almost 40% of international travelers to Brazil last year were Argentinian. Next up are the United States, at 475,200 visitors, down 7%, and Chile, at 342,100, up 5.2%.
A press release quoted Tourism minister Marx Beltrão as saying Brazil must put audacious strategies in place in order to boost tourist numbers. “We champion stepping up international promotion, modernizing [Brazilian Tourism Institute] Embratur and opening up the country to the global market as a means of fueling international tourism,” he said.
Since last February, tourists from Australia, Japan, Canada and the United States are allowed entry into Brazil with e-visas. Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism reported a 76% hike in applications during the month.
Brazil has a visa waiver agreement in place with the United Arab Emirates that has been approved by the Brazilian Senate and is now pending clearance from the Gulf country before entering into force. Brazil does not require visas from Tunisians or Moroccans.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
