Brazil Reporting Positive Results

In recent months, Brazil’s tourism industry has undergone a renewal process, with infrastructure and security investments helping restore it to pre-pandemic levels. The country has also increased its air frequencies to pre-2020 levels, and over 80% of the population has received at least two COVID vaccine doses. As a result, Brazil is again seeing positive numbers of international arrivals and spending on tourism.

According to a survey conducted by Embratur (the Brazilian agency for international tourism promotion) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the United States 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% of the total) originating in the United States.

These data, provided by Embratur, suggest that the country can expect a busy summer season for international tourism. It is worth noting that 53.51% of travelers tend to purchase tickets within 60 days of their trip, according to a study by ForwardKeys, a leading travel, and analysis company partnered with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

Ranking of countries that bought the most tickets include:

• United States: 158,751
• Argentina: 154,872
• Portugal: 53,824
• Chile: 41,782
• France: 33,908

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% of what was presented in 2019 – the last year before the pandemic – and an increase of 44.54% compared to the same period in 2021.

The proximity of 100% 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 the International Air Transport Association (IATA), more than 1.02 million international tickets have already been purchased to enjoy destinations in Brazil between December 2022 and March 2023.

With US$ 413 million recorded in October 2022, Brazil surpassed the US$ 4 billion mark in foreign tourist spending this year. A significant result in terms of getting tourism back to the country. Tourists spent $2.9 billion and $3 billion over 12 months in 2021 and 2020, respectively. The data are from 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 US$ 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% 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% of the operation in December, and some even surpass the numbers of 2019. The association represents around 32 thousand 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 International Air Transport Association (IATA). Data indicate that more than 1.02 million international tickets have already been purchased to enjoy destinations in Brazil between December 2022 and March 2023.

National hotel occupancy reached 59.2% 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.