Brazil welcomes 5.2 mn international visitors in the first half of 2026
Brazil tourism representative image
Brazil welcomed 9.3 million international tourists in 2025, up from 6.3 million in 2019, making it the fourth-best performing country in terms of growth in foreign arrivals during the period, according to report.
Brazil has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing international tourism destinations, recording a 46% increase in foreign visitor arrivals between 2019 and 2025, according to online reports citing the OECD’s Tourism Trends and Policies 2026 report.
The report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) compares tourism performance before the pandemic in 2019 with visitor numbers recorded in 2025, highlighting the pace of recovery across global destinations.
Brazil welcomed 9.3 million international tourists in 2025, up from 6.3 million in 2019, making it the fourth-best performing country in terms of growth in foreign arrivals during the period, according to the report.
The increase said to place Brazil ahead of several major tourism destinations, including Japan (34%), Portugal (20%), Spain (16%) and France (12%), which reported lower growth rates over the same period.
The OECD findings also indicate that Brazil outperformed several South American neighbours. While Brazil recorded strong gains in international arrivals, countries such as Argentina (23%) and Peru (22%) registered declines in visitor numbers compared with 2019 levels.
According to online reports citing Embratur, Brazil’s tourism momentum has continued into 2026. The country received 5.2 million international visitors during the first half of the year, marking one of the strongest first-semester performances in its tourism history.
International tourists generated an estimated USD 5.6 billion in tourism revenue during the six-month period, representing a 12% increase compared with the same period in 2025, according to Embratur.
The Brazilian tourism agency has attributed the growth to intensified international marketing efforts, including participation in global travel trade events, promotional campaigns in key source markets, media engagement initiatives and familiarisation trips for travel agents and tour operators.
The OECD report notes that international tourism has continued its post-pandemic recovery, supported by stronger travel demand, improved global air connectivity and increased investment across the tourism sector. It adds that tourism remains an important contributor to economic activity, employment generation and regional development in many economies.
