Brazil, despite its natural beauty, vibrant culture, and friendliness, has faced challenges in becoming a global tourism hub, with less than 0.5% of the world’s international trips directed towards it. Paris attracted 26 million tourists in 2023, while Brazil has yet to surpass 7 million in any year. Five core reasons contribute to this struggle: transportation issues, insecurity, poor services, high costs, and inconsistent marketing. Addressing these issues comprehensively is vital for Brazil to realise its tourism potential.
Distances And Transportation
Brazil’s vast geography presents significant barriers to international tourism. Its location far from major tourism markets like Europe, North America, and Asia makes flights long, expensive, and limited. This logistical difficulty is a significant deterrent, with few direct flights available, especially to the country’s northern and northeastern regions, despite growing interest in destinations like the Amazon and Fernando de Noronha. Once inside the country, tourists face additional challenges with expensive and limited domestic aviation and long, underdeveloped highways, making travel difficult and costly.
Feelings Of Insecurity And Violence
Safety concerns are a major deterrent. Brazil has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, which creates a perception of widespread violence. While violent crime is concentrated in certain areas, it can be hard for foreign tourists to distinguish between safe and unsafe zones. Moreover, warnings from countries like the US and the UK about the risks of robbery, scams, and kidnappings exacerbate these fears. On a more subtle level, tourists often encounter smaller-scale scams, like price gouging and services falling short of expectations, adding to their unease.
Inadequate Services
Language barriers and a lack of tourism services tailored to foreign visitors are a third issue. With only 1% of Brazilians fluent in English, many tourists struggle to navigate the country. Most services are designed for Brazilian tourists, leaving international visitors with fewer options that cater to their tastes or needs. While it’s understandable that domestic tourism is prioritised, this imbalance dilutes the presence of foreign tourists and reduces the availability of services tailored to international preferences. The lack of comprehensive online information or multilingual services exacerbates these challenges.
Costs
Brazil isn’t cheap for international travellers, particularly those expecting an affordable, high-quality experience. While it’s not as expensive as destinations like Switzerland or Japan, it also doesn’t offer the low prices of countries like Indonesia or India. Public transport is affordable but often unreliable or unsafe, while quality tourism services tend to be pricey. This creates a perception that Brazil doesn’t offer the best value for money, which can push tourists towards cheaper, more efficient destinations.
Erratic Promotion Of The Country
The lack of a consistent and cohesive marketing strategy is the fifth major issue. Unlike other tourism giants that have created strong, positive images over decades, Brazil’s international promotion has been inconsistent and underdeveloped. Emotional factors, such as perceptions of a location’s friendliness, cultural vibrancy, and tranquillity—all areas where Brazil could excel—are increasingly influencing tourists. However, without consistent, strategic promotion, Brazil fails to establish itself as a dream destination for potential travellers.
Retaliatory Visas
In October 2023, the Brazilian government decided to impose tourist visas on visitors from the US, Japan, Australia, and Canada. This decision faced strong criticism from the tourism industry, with many arguing that it would discourage international travellers and reduce Brazil’s competitiveness as a tourist destination.
The visa requirement, which was to take effect on October 1, was to reverse a previous policy implemented in 2019 by former President Jair Bolsonaro. He had exempted these countries from visa requirements to boost tourism and promote reciprocity.
The decision was particularly surprising given Brazil’s efforts to recover from the pandemic and attract more international visitors. The country experienced a significant increase in tourism arrivals in 2023, and the visa requirement was seen as a setback for these efforts.
Industry experts expressed concerns about the potential negative impact of the visa requirement on tourism revenue and job creation. They argued that the added inconvenience and expense of obtaining a visa would deter many travellers, especially those planning short trips.
Despite the criticism, the Brazilian government defended its decision, citing reciprocity as the primary motivation. They argued that Brazilians needed visas to travel to these countries, and imposing a similar requirement on their citizens was necessary to maintain a fair and balanced relationship.
The decision also highlighted the delicate balance between national security and tourism promotion. While visas can be seen as a security measure, they can also hinder tourism by creating additional bureaucratic hurdles for travellers.
Tourism Flourishes Despite The Odds
The Central Bank stated on Wednesday that from January to August, foreign tourists brought in an unprecedented BRL 26.2 billion (USD 4.8 billion) to Brazil. This record-breaking spending shows Brazil’s tourism revival and international visitors’ growing interest in its numerous attractions.
Over 4.45 million overseas visitors visited Brazil in the first eight months, boosting tourism earnings. This is a 10.7% rise from 2023, indicating a robust recovery and revived interest in Brazil as a vacation destination.
Even more astonishing, this figure exceeds pre-pandemic tourist numbers by 1% from January to August 2019. This little but significant growth shows that Brazil’s tourist business has revived and is thriving much beyond forecasts.
The Brazilian government recognised this milestone as a sign of tourism resurgence. The surge in foreign visitors and their economic contributions bodes well for Brazil’s worldwide tourism.
The Brazilian government expects tourism earnings to exceed this year’s record USD 6.9 billion in 2024. Brazil’s National Tourism Plan seeks to make it South America’s top tourist destination by 2027, and a rise in foreign visitors supports this hopeful prognosis. Brazil wants to outperform Colombia and Argentina in international tourism to become a worldwide hub.
Brazil receives the most foreign tourists from Argentina, the US, and Chile. Despite these robust inflows, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration has created controversy by attempting to reintroduce visa requirements for US, Canadian, and Australian tourists. Former President Jair Bolsonaro eased visa requirements in 2019 to increase tourism by facilitating travel to major overseas markets.
Although visa reinstatement was scheduled to start sooner, it has been repeatedly postponed. By April 2025, US, Canadian, and Australian visas will be required. This delay allowed stakeholders to discuss the impact on Brazil’s tourism sector.
Leaders in Brazil’s tourism, hotel, and aviation sectors are opposing visa restrictions for US tourists. Many believe that requiring visas could deter travellers and negatively impact Brazil’s tourism industry. Since the US is one of Brazil’s main sources of international visitors, these industries are concerned that the policy could harm tourist revenue.
To overcome its stagnation in international tourism, Brazil needs a holistic approach. Addressing these issues in isolation—improving transport infrastructure, increasing safety, or enhancing services—won’t suffice. Tourism success requires tackling these factors to create an appealing and cohesive visitor experience. Developing countries like Brazil, where citizens face daily struggles, find it harder to create tourism enclaves like Bali or Cancun, and this model has become politically unfeasible in Brazil. Instead, focusing on an integrated approach that addresses the needs of international tourists while ensuring benefits for the local population will be key to Brazil’s success as a global tourism destination.