Tourism in Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, the most visited destination in Brazil by foreign tourists for leisure trips, and second place for business travel.

São Paulo, the most visited destination in Brazil for foreign tourists who travel on business, and third place to travel for leisure.

Tourism in Brazil is a growing sector and key to the economy of several regions of the country. The country had 5 million visitors in 2008^[1] and ranked as the fourth largest tourist destination in the Americas, the main destination in South America, and second in Latin America after Mexico, in terms of the international tourist arrivals. Revenues from international tourists reached USD 5.78 billion in 2008.^[2][3] In 2005, tourism contributed with 3.2% of the country's revenues from exports of goods and services, and represented 7% of direct and indirect employment in the Brazilian economy.^[4] In 2006 direct employment in the sector reached 1.87 million people.^[5] Domestic tourism is a fundamental market segment for the industry, as 51 million traveled throughout the country in 2005,^[6] and direct revenues from Brazilian tourists reached USD 21.8 billion,^[7] 5.6 times more receipts than international tourists in 2005.

Brazil offers for both domestic and international tourists, an ample gamut of options, with natural areas being its most popular tourism product, a combination of ecotourism with leisure and recreation, mainly sun and beach, and adventure travel, as well as historic and cultural tourism. Among the most popular destinations are the Amazon Rainforest, beaches and dunes in the Northeast Region, the Pantanal in the Center-West Region, beaches at Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina, cultural and historic tourism in Minas Gerais and business trips to São Paulo city.

In terms of 2008 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), which is a measurement of the factors that make it attractive to develop business in the travel and tourism industry of individual countries, Brazil reached the 49th place in the world's ranking, second among Latin American countries, and sixth in the Americas.^[8] Brazil main competitive advantages are shown by the subindex measuring human, cultural, and natural resources, where Brazil ranks sixth at the worldwide level, and third when only the natural resources criteria is considered. The TTCI report also notes Brazil's main weaknesses, information and communications technology infrastructure (ranked 58th), ground transport infrastructure (ranked 95th), and safety and security (ranked 128th).^[9]

International tourism

Salvador, capital of Bahia state, is the center of Afro-Brazilian culture, and one of the top destinations by Brazilian nationals and international tourists.

Balneário Camboriú, in Santa Catarina state, is one of the top destinations by domestic and international tourists, mainly Argentines.

Botanical Garden of Curitiba, in Curitiba, Paraná.

Brasília's Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida, in Brasília.

Carnatal in Natal, is one of the largest off-season carnivals in Brazil.

According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), international travel to Brazil began to grow fast since 2000, particularly during 2004 and 2005. However, in 2006 a slow down took place, and international arrivals have had almost no growth both in 2007 and 2008.^{[1][12][15][16]} In spite of this trend, revenues from international tourism continue to rise, from USD 3.9 billion in 2005 to USD 4.9 billion in 2007, a one billion dollar increase despite 333 thousand less arrivals. This favorable trend is the result of the strong devaluation of the American dollar against the Brazilian Real, which began in 2004, but on the other hand, making Brazil a more expensive international destination. Also, there have been a market demand contraction of international visitors due the 2006-2007 Brazilian aviation and airport crisis, and Varig Brazilian airline financial crisis, considered responsible for close to 400 thousand international travelers desisting to visit Brazil in 2006.^[17]

Despite continuing record breaking of international tourism revenues, the number of Brazilian tourists travelling overseas has been growing steadily since 2003, resulting in a net negative foreign exchange balance, as more money is spent abroad by Brazilian than receipts from international tourist visiting Brazil. Tourism expenditures abroad grew from USD 5.76 billion in 2006, to USD 8.21 billion in 2007, a 42,45% increase, representing a net deficit of USD 3.26 billion in 2007, as compared to USD 1.45 billion in 2006, a 125% increase from the previous year.^[18] This trend is caused by Brazilians taking advantage of the stronger Real to travel and making relatively cheaper expenditures abroad.^[18] Brazilian traveling overseas in 2006 represented 3.9% of the country's population.^[19]

In 2005, Rio de Janeiro, Foz do Iguaçu, São Paulo, Florianópolis and Salvador were the most visited cities by international tourists for leisure trips. The most popular destinations for business trips were São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre.^[20] In 2006 Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza were the most popular destinations by national visitors.^[21]

Most international visitors in 2008 came from Argentina (20.2%), from the United States (12.4%) and from Italy (5.3%), while as a region most visitors came from neighboring South American countries, mainly from Mercosul.^[1] Top international arrivals by country of origin between 2006 and 2008 are:

Top 15 visitor arrivals to Brazil by country of origin (2006–2008)[1][13]
Ranking 2008	Country of origin	Foreign tourists 2008	% total	Foreign tourists 2007	% total	Foreign tourists 2006	% total
1st	Argentina	1,017,675	20.15	920,210	18.31	933,061	18.63
2nd	United States	625,506	12.39	699,169	13.91	721,633	14.41
3rd	Italy	265,724	5.26	268,685	5.35	287,898	5.75
4th	Germany	254,264	5.03	257,719	5.13	277,182	5.53
5th	Chile	240,087	4.75	260,430	5.18	167,357	3.34
6th	Portugal	222,558	4.41	280,438	5.58	299,211	5.97
7th	Paraguay	217,709	4.31	206,323	4.11	198,958	3.97
8th	France	214,440	4.25	254,367	5.06	275,913	5.51
9th	Spain	202,624	4.01	216,373	4.31	211,741	4.23
10th	Uruguay	199,403	3.95	226,111	4.50	255,349	5.10
11th	United Kingdom	181,179	3.59	176,948	3.52	169,627	3.39
12th	Colombia	96,846	1.92	45,838	0.91	50,103	1.00
13th	Peru	93,693	1.86	96,336	1.92	64,002	1.28
14th	Bolivia	84,072	1.66	61,990	1.23	55,169	1.10
15th	Netherlands	81,936	1.62	83,554	1.66	86,122	1.72
International visitor arrivals by region of origin (2006 to 2008)[1][22]
1st	South America	2,070,391	41.0	1,906,451	37.9	1,818,352	36.2
2nd	Europe	1,776,333	35.2	1,906,078	37.9	1,951,528	38.9
3rd	North America	765,380	15.2	821,921	16.4	855,098	17.0

Iguazu Falls, in the State of Paraná.

Comparison with other Latin American destinations

The following is a comparative summary of Brazil's tourism industry key performance indicators as compared with countries considered among the most popular destinations in Latin America, and relevant economic indicators are included to show the relative importance that international tourism has on the economy of the selected countries.

Selected Latin American countries	Internl. tourism arrivals 2008[2] (x 1000)	Internl. tourism receipts. 2008[2] (USD (x1000)	Average receipt per visitor 2008[2] (USD/turista)	Tourist arrivals per 1000 inhab (estimated) 2007[12][15][23]	Receipts per capita [24] 2005 USD	Revenues as % exports of goods and services[4] 2003	Tourism income  % GDP[4] 2003	% Direct and indirect employment in tourism[4] 2005	World ranking Tourism Competitiv.[8] TTCI 2008	2008 TTCI Index[8]
Argentina	4,665	4,633	993	115	57	7,4	1,8	9,1	58	4,17
Brazil	5,050	5,785	1,146	26	18	3,2	0,5	7,0	49	4,29
Chile	2,699	1,757	651	151	73	5,3	1,9	6,8	51	4,27
Costa Rica	2,089	2,250	1,077	442	343	17,5	8,1	13,3	44	4,35
Cuba	2,316	2,267	979	188	169	n/d	n/d	n/d	n/d	n/d
Dominican Republic	3,980	4,176	1,049	408	353	36,2	18,8	19,8	63	4,05
Mexico	22,637	13,289	587	201	103	5,7	1,6	14,2	55	4,18
Panama	1,293	1,408	1,089	330	211	10,6	6,3	12,9	50	4,29
Peru	2,058	1,991	967	65	41	9,0	1,6	7,6	70	3,87
Uruguay	1,921	1,042	542	525	145	14,2	3,6	10,7	61	4,10

• Note : The background green shadow denotes the country with the best indicator and yellow shadow corresponds to Brazil indicators.

Tourist visa

Tourist visa requeriments have been waived for citizens of Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Morocco, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Malta, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Surinam, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela.

Tourist visas also applies to lecturers at conferences, for visiting relatives and/or friends, unpaid participation in athletic or artistic event or competition (in this case an invitation letter from the sponsoring organization is Brazil is required), and unpaid participation in a scientific/academic seminar or conference sponsored by a research or academic institution (in this case an invitation letter from the sponsoring organization in Brazil is required).^[25]

Domestic tourism

Amazon Rainforest in Manaus, is a popular ecotourism destination.

Domestic tourism is a key market segment for the tourism industry in Brazil. In 2005, 51 million Brazilian nationals^[6] made ten times more trips than foreign tourists and spent five times more money than their international counterparts. The main destination states in 2005 were São Paulo (27.7%), Minas Gerais (10.8%), Rio de Janeiro (8.4%), Bahia (7.4%) and Santa Catarina (7.2%). The top three states by trip origin were São Paulo (35.7%), Minas Gerais (13.6%) and Rio de Janeiro (8.2%).^[6]

In terms of tourism revenues, the top earners by state were São Paulo (16.4%) and Bahia (11.7%). For 2005 the three main trip purposes were visiting friends and family (53.1%), sun and beach (40.8%), and cultural tourism (12.5%).^[19]

Tourism by regions of Brazil

Southeast Region

Santinho Beach, at Santa Catarina island, Florianópolis. The beaches in Santa Catarina's littoral are one of the main destination for Argentine tourists.

The colonial city of Ouro Preto, a World Heritage Site, is one of the most popular destinations in Minas Gerais.

Genipabu beach and dunes, near Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, is one of the most popular destination among Portuguese tourists in the Northeast Region of Brazil.

The dune beaches of Jijoca de Jericoacoara, Ceará, is one of the most popular destination among Europeans in the Northeast Region of Brazil.

• Rio de Janeiro
• Rio de Janeiro State: Angra dos Reis, Paraty, Resende, Visconde de Mauá, Itatiaia National Park, Petrópolis, Vassouras, Teresópolis, Serra dos Órgãos, Nova Friburgo, Saquarema, Arraial do Cabo, Cabo Frio, Búzios, Ilha Grande
• Espírito Santo: Vitória, Vila Velha, Guarapari, Anchieta, Piúma, Domingos Martins, Santa Teresa
• Minas Gerais: Belo Horizonte, Sabará, Ouro Preto, Congonhas, Mariana, Lavras, São João del Rei, Tiradentes, Diamantina, Caxambu, São Lourenço, São Thomé das Letras, Caparaó National Park, Pico da Bandeira, Serra do Cipó National Park
• São Paulo
• São Paulo State: São Sebastião, Ilhabela, Boiçucanga, Guarujá, Santos, Iguape, Cananéia, São Vicente, Campos do Jordão, Campinas, Ribeirão Preto, São José dos Campos, Sorocaba, Americana, Araçatuba, Araraquara, Araras, Atibaia, Barretos, Birigüi, Botucatu, Bragança Paulista, Itu, Jaú

Southern Region

• Paraná: Curitiba, Morretes, Antonina, Paranaguá, Ilha do Mel, Superagüi National Park, Foz do Iguaçu, Iguaçu Falls
• Santa Catarina: Florianópolis, Ilha de Santa Catarina, Joinville, Blumenau, Itapema, Balneário Camboriú
• Rio Grande do Sul: Porto Alegre, Torres, Aparados da Serra National Park, Serra Gaúcha, Canela, Gramado

Center-West Region

• Distrito Federal: Brasília
• Goiás: Goiânia, Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, Pirenópolis, Goiás Velho, Caldas Novas, Emas National Park, Araguaia River
• Mato Grosso: Cuiabá, The Pantanal, Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, Tangará da Serra Waterfall Leap of the Clouds (Salto das Nuvens), Barra do Garças, Alta Floresta, Cáceres, Barão de Melgaço, Poconé
• Mato Grosso do Sul: Campo Grande, Corumbá, Bonito, Ponta Porã, Aquidauana, Coxim, Jardim

Northeast Region

• Bahia: Salvador, Cachoeira, Lençóis, Morro de São Paulo, Ilhéus, Porto Seguro, Arraial d'Ajuda, Trancoso, Chapada Diamantina National Park, Abrolhos Marine National Park
• Pernambuco: Recife, Olinda, Itamaracá, Igarassu, Caruaru, Porto de Galinhas, New Jerusalem, Garanhuns, Triunfo, Fernando de Noronha, Catimbau Valley, Petrolina
• Ceará: Fortaleza, Aracati, Canoa Quebrada, Jericoacoara, Tatajuba, Camocim, Sobral, Baturité, Ubajara National Park, Juazeiro do Norte
• Sergipe: Aracaju, Laranjeiras, São Cristóvão, Estância, Propriá
• Alagoas: Maceió, Maragogi, Penedo
• Paraíba: João Pessoa, Campina Grande, Cabedelo, Ingá, Baía da Traição, Sousa
• Rio Grande do Norte: Natal, Mossoró, Tibau do Sul, Tibau, Parnamirim, Touros, São Miguel do Gostoso, Galinhos, Caicó, Macau, Martins, Maxaranguape, Cape São Roque
• Piauí: Teresina, Sete Cidades National Park, Parnaíba, Serra da Capivara National Park
• Maranhão: São Luís, Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Alcântara, Imperatriz, Carolina

North Region

• Amazonas: Manaus, Parintins, Tefé, Mamirauá
• Pará: Belém, Ilha de Marajó, Santarém
• Tocantins: Palmas, Ilha do Bananal, Natividade
• Amapá: Macapá, Oiapoque
• Roraima: Boa Vista, Monte Roraima
• Rondônia: Porto Velho, Guajará-Mirim, Guaporé Valley
• Acre: Rio Branco, Xapuri, Brasiléia, Assis Brasil

See also

• Embratur, Brazil's official tourist board
• Ministry of Tourism (Brazil)

References

External links

• Brazilian Tourism Portal by Embratur (Brazilian Tourist Board)
• New York Times Travel Guides: Brazil

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