2023 could be the year for tourism recovery in Brazil

The arrival of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, this time without Covid restrictions, has left the Brazilian tourism sector in high spirits. Sun, sand, and Carnival are expected to not only attract more foreign visitors to the country, but also boost domestic tourism in a year when Brazilians are still unlikely to travel abroad.

According to a survey released in mid-January by Embratur, the Brazilian tourism board, using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), more than 1.3 million foreign tourists booked tickets to visit Brazil between December last year and March. 

Between February 13 and 22 alone, for example, around 80,000 tourists have bought flights to visit the country, during the first Carnival without any Covid restrictions since 2020 — when a little more than 55,000 foreign tourists came to the country to enjoy the most Brazilian of festivals.

Over the December-March period, the two countries that will send the most tourists to Brazil are Argentina and the U.S., with 264,000 and 247,000 people, respectively. Portugal, Chile, and Italy come next in line.

“We have beautiful beaches, good structure, and a multitude of attractions to offer. Our expectation is that [the influx of foreigners] will be an important step towards the full recovery of our sector, which suffered so much during the...