The first quarter of 2024 records the highest income in history from international tourism in Brazil

International tourists left US$2.06 billion in Brazil in the first quarter of 2024. The value of the period is the best in the historical series that began in 1995, and is also 21.3% higher than that of the first three months last year, when visitors from other countries left US$ 1.7 billion in Brazilian destinations. The record also surpassed the same interval in 2019, the last year before the Covid-19 pandemic, when the quarterly balance was $1.81 billion.

The quarterly record of foreign currency inflow goes hand in hand with the record of entry of international tourists to Brazil in January, February and March of this year. During the period, there were 2,530,526 visitors from abroad, 740,483 of them in March alone. The month registered an increase of 1.6% compared to the previous record, from 2018, before the pandemic, when the country registered 728,742 foreign tourists. Compared to March 2023, when Brazil received 577,215 visitors from other countries, the growth was 28.8%.

March also recorded an increase in foreign exchange earnings, being the fourth best in the historical series. The record for the period was 592 million dollars, 3.85% higher than in March 2023, when international tourists left 570 million dollars in Brazil. According to the Central Bank, the other three best results occurred, in chronological order, in 2012, with US$ 607 million, in 2016, with US$ 597 million, and in 2017, with US$ 650 million.

The president of Embratur, Marcelo Freixo, celebrated the result. “The results are consistent and are the result of the technical and qualified work carried out by Embratur, in alliance with states and municipalities, and the private sector. We define priorities, we organize a promotion strategy and the tourists who come in greater volume are precisely from the countries where we are working to promote Brazil with greater commitment,” highlights Marcelo Freixo, president of Embratur.

“When it works, everyone wins. Tourism is a very democratic chain, these incomes go to micro and small entrepreneurs, it helps generate employment and develop municipalities. I usually say that there are not two Brazils and this good result is the vision of this in practice. Having more tourists come to the country helps us improve our home, the place where we live. Because it cannot be one Brazil for tourists and another for Brazilians. It has to be good for everyone,” added Freixo.

The Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, also celebrated the record performance. “Brazil is more than ever on the radar of international tourists and the figures for the first quarter clearly reflect this. Spending by foreigners in our country reached a historic milestone, showing the strength and potential of Brazilian tourism. We are committed to continuing to invest in infrastructure and promoting our destinations, together with Embratur, to attract even more visitors and boost our economy, generating jobs, income and development. It’s good for everyone,” he declared.

Tourist arrivals
The balance of international tourist arrivals also showed that Embratur's strategy of diversifying destinations among neighboring South American countries is giving results. Uruguay, for example, almost doubled the number of tourists to Brazil compared to March 2023. With 70,866 arrivals, the country showed a percentage growth of 94.9%.

Second among the countries with the highest percentage of growth, Paraguay was also very close to doubling the number of tourists sent to Brazil, with a growth of 93.3% and 39,007 entries. The country was followed by Chile, which grew by 45.6% with 50,877 arrivals. It is important to highlight that this is the third consecutive month that the number of Chileans increases in registrations. And Argentina, which had a drop in the first two months of 2024, showed a growth of 16.9%, with 223,602 brothers entering Brazilian destinations.

In Europe, the greatest growth occurred in Portugal, 34.9%, with 28,108 entries, followed by Germany, which showed an increase of 22.9% with 25,668 entries in Brazil. And in North America, the United States sent 83,609 tourists, a growth of 10.1%. The registration of tourist tickets is carried out by Embratur in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism (MTur) and the Federal Police (PF).