Brazil's São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná lead a record-breaking international tourism boom in 2024: What new you need to know?

In December alone, 690,236 international tourists arrived, marking an 11.1% rise from the same month in 2023, according to data released by the Ministry of Tourism, Embratur, and the Federal Police.

Key Contributors to SuccessMarcelo Freixo, president of Embratur, attributed the surge to innovative international promotion strategies.

Top Destinations and Visitor Origins

Argentina remained the leading source of visitors, with 1,953,548 arrivals, followed by the United States (696,512) and Chile (651,776). Paraguay and Uruguay together accounted for over 833,412 entries. Air travel dominated, bringing in two-thirds of all tourists, while land transport accounted for 28.7%.

Economic ImpactBy November 2024, foreign tourists had spent $6.62 billion, the highest figure recorded in the first 11 months of any year since 1995. This represents a 5.3% increase from 2023 and surpasses spending during the same period in 2014, when Brazil hosted the FIFA World Cup.

Future InitiativesBrazil is doubling down on efforts to attract more visitors.

The Federal Government announced investments of $10.6 million for new domestic flight routes through the International Tourism Acceleration Program (PATI). This is expected to add 500,000 new flight seats in 2025. Additionally, the summer season for 2024/2025 will see a record 7.48 million international flight seats, a 19% increase from the previous year.