Brazil Sets Nine-Month Record for Foreign Visitors as Rio Leads the Surge

Overview

• Brazil recorded 7,099,237 international arrivals from January to September 2025, a 45% year-on-year increase, with September’s 570,934 visits the highest for the month and already surpassing 2024’s full-year total.
• The state of Rio de Janeiro welcomed 1,630,927 foreign tourists in the period, up 51.7%, led by Argentina (593,000), Chile (276,000), the United States (161,000), Uruguay (76,000) and France (63,000).
• Air connectivity expanded sharply, with about 75,000 international flights to Brazil scheduled in 2025 (up 16.3% from 2024) and 25,600 international flights at Rio’s Galeão in the first nine months (up 27%).
• Tourism receipts reached US$5.4 billion through August, an 11.7% increase from a year earlier, according to Embratur.
• Rio expects additional inflows as the cruise season opens with 86 calls and an estimated 240,000 passengers through April 2026, while a Fecomércio survey projects R$10.6 billion in 2025 tourist spending and reports 37% arrived expecting insecurity but 61.9% left with a positive view of safety.