by Brian Major
Last updated: 12:40 PM ET, Tue April 1, 2025
Expanded airline
routes are driving strong early season visitor arrivals for Brazil. The country
recorded 2,810,553 international visitors in January and February, a 57 percent
year-over-year increase compared with the first two months of 2024, according
to officials at Embratur, Brazil’s national tourism agency.
The arrivals
increase coincides with Brazil’s Carnival season, which traditionally begins in
February. Brazil also recorded a seven percent year-over-year increase in
commercial aviation activity in February 2025, according to National Civil
Aviation Agency (ANAC) data.
Brazilian
travel will represent 24.9 percent of all South American flight activity, including
domestic and international flights, between January and June of this year, according
to forecasts from travel research firm ForwardKeys.
Embratur officials
are attributing the early year flight increases to Brazilian government
initiatives intended to increase international air traffic.
Under its $10.6
billion International Tourism Acceleration Program (PATI) for 2025, Brazil is
offering airlines new flights to several cities, with plans to promote the
routes in international markets.
In return, the
Brazilian government is financing part of the investment in promoting and
publicizing the flights, according to Embratur officials.
Spanish carrier
Iberia will add new flights to Fortaleza and Recife beginning next winter via
the program, with departures from Orlando, Fla. Additionally, American Airlines
will launch new weekly flights to Sao Paulo from Dallas-Fort Worth airport this
year.
Brazil recorded
its best-ever year for international arrivals in 2024, with 6,657,377
foreign visitors, a 12.6 percent year-over-year increase compared with 2023. The
United States was Brazil’s second largest tourist source country (following
Argentina), with nearly 700,000 travelers.
“In
the first two months of the year [Brazil] surpassed the most optimistic
projections,” said Marcelo Freixo, Embratur’s president. “We are transforming
our potential into reality.”
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