Brazil’s tourism industry has undergone a renewal process in recent months, with infrastructure and security investments helping restore it to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, the country has increased its air frequencies to pre-2020 levels, and more than 80 percent of the population has received at least two COVID-19 vaccine doses. As a result, Brazil is again witnessing positive numbers of international arrivals and spending on tourism.
A recent survey conducted by Embratur (Brazil's agency for international tourism promotion) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) found that the U.S. tops the list of countries purchasing airline tickets for travel to Brazil during the 2022/23 summer season. As of November 9, a total of 801,110 tickets had been purchased by travelers from various countries, with 158,751 (19.81 percent of the total) originating in the United States. This data suggests that the country can expect a busy summer season for international tourism. It is worth noting, also, that 53.51 percent of travelers tend to purchase tickets within 60 days of their trip, according to a study by ForwardKeys, a travel and analysis company in partnership with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
Brazil’s connectivity with the world continues to increase, and registered, in November 2022, 4,367 international flights. This means an operation of around 95 percent of what was presented in 2019–the last year prior to the pandemic–and an increase of 44.54 percent compared to the same period in 2021. The proximity of 100 percent recovery, even in a month considered low season for tourists, reinforces the expectation of a historic summer in the country. Proof of this is that according to a survey by Embratur’s Market and Competitive Intelligence Management and IATA, over 1.02 million international tickets have already been purchased to enjoy destinations in Brazil between December 2022 and March 2023.
With $413 million recorded in October 2022, Brazil surpassed the $4 billion mark in foreign tourist spending this year. This is a significant result in terms of the country’s tourism recovery. Tourists spent $2.9 billion and $3 billion over 12 months in 2021 and 2020, respectively. This data was shared by the Central Bank of Brazil. The October result confirms an upward trend in numbers since August and September, and the value was also higher than $400 million. Considering all of 2022, October was the fifth month overseas visitor spending exceeded $400 million. In all of 2021, no month reached this mark.
The year 2022 marks the consolidation of the recovery of tourism around the world. In Brazil, the expectation is that the end-of-year festivities will contribute to the sectors reaching 100 percent of the operations registered in 2019. Associação Brasileira de Indústria de Hotéis (ABIH) is surveying the impact of the end-of-year festivities in Brazil, and the forecast is that many destinations will reach 100 percent of the operation in December, and some even surpass the numbers of 2019. The association represents around 32,000 means of lodging throughout Brazil and is present in the 26 states and the Federal District through the state ABIHs.
The optimism is also confirmed in Embratur’s Marketing and Competitive Intelligence Management survey with the IATA. The data reveals that more than 1.02 million international tickets to destinations in Brazil have already been purchased between December 2022 and March 2023.
National hotel occupancy reached 59.2 percent between January and October this year, according to a survey by the Forum of Hotel Operators in Brazil (FOHB). The data is exactly the same hotel occupancy compared to the same period in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, go to www.visitbrasil.com.
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