Rebounding Brazilian Visitor Arrivals Tied to Air Seat Increase

Image: Iguassu Falls Independent Adventure (Photo Credit: Provided by GAdventures)
Image: Iguassu Falls Independent Adventure (Photo Credit: Provided by GAdventures)
Brian Major
by Brian Major
Last updated: 3:20 PM ET, Wed May 3, 2023

Brazil hosted 2.3 million international visitors in the first three months of 2023, according to data published this week by the Brazilian Agency for the International Promotion of Tourism (Embratur) and Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism.

Brazil’s 2023 visitor total exceeds the 1.9 million the country hosted in 2020 prior to the pandemic, and also surpasses the 2.2 million travelers hosted in the first quarter of pre-pandemic 2019, according to officials.

In a statement, Brazilian tourism officials said the agencies are focused on re-establishing pre-pandemic visitor arrival levels while resuming air frequencies to 2020 standards, said.

Travelers from the United States represented the second-largest source of first-quarter 2023 visitors with 184,300 travelers, behind only Argentina, from where one million visitors originated.

The Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paran and Santa Catarina hosted the largest number of visitors.

The 9.7 million airline seats dedicated to Brazil between April and December of 2023, represents a 26 percent year-over-year increase (two million seats), based on statistics from Embratur and travel research firm ForwardKeys.

Embratur is working with airlines to promote Brazilian destinations in visitor source markets “to generate demand that gives economic sustainability to the new routes,” said officials.

“We know where the potential new tourists are and who are interested in what Brazil has to offer,” said Marcelo Freixo, Embratur’s president.

“So, we first demonstrate the potential demand to stimulate new routes to airlines,” Freixo said. “Once the new route is guaranteed, our mission is to connect operators and work on tools to promote Brazilian destinations and bring tourists here.” 


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