Brazil: 80% tourism activity in 2021 at pre-pandemic levels, expectations for 2022

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The year 2021 has presented significant challenges to global tourism, affecting the sector’s economy and creating jobs and new businesses.

At the beginning of 2022, Brazil celebrates the recovery of tourist activity to levels almost identical to those reached by March 2020, with 85% recovered air traffic and 80% hotel occupancy. Indicators for 2022 suggest a solid recovery.

Until mid-2021, the Brazilian government’s priority was to recover, maintain and strengthen the domestic market. It created a National Certificate of Responsible Tourism within the country’s borders, a seal of approval for establishments that comply with biosecurity protocols to ensure a safe stay for visitors.

It invested US$1 billion in tourism promotion for works, tax exemptions, employment subsidies, training, and low-interest loans. This was done in parallel with a vaccination campaign that has already reached 145 million people nationwide.

“We are optimistic. In collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, we have continuously strengthened the sector internally and promoted Brazilian attractions abroad. With a solid vaccination campaign and the reopening of land and air borders, we expect international travelers to return as soon as possible to enjoy Brazil’s unique riches in every corner of the country,” said Carlos Brito, president of the Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion (EMBRATUR).

Embratur resumed its international activities in the second half of last year with a campaign promoting Brazil’s natural destinations, launched in Japan during the 2021 Olympic Games.

The agency also resumed its participation in trade shows and entered into strategic partnerships in Dubai to promote Brazilian destinations in the Middle East, among other actions to strengthen tourism activities.

Based on tourism trends and information, the agency worked to position Brazil as a natural and safe destination where millions of visitors can reconnect with nature without staying in major tourist centers.

Brazil’s priority for 2022 is to fully reactivate a sector that accounts for 8% of national GDP by 2020. In last year’s last quarter, Embratur launched promotional campaigns in the South American countries that send the most tourists to Brazil, such as Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, expecting to reactivate tourist demand this summer season.

“We also want to work with our neighbors to jointly promote destinations in the region so that everyone who travels to South America visits more than just one country; we want to position ourselves together among the main global players. We have everything for that,” Brito said.

The border between Brazil and Uruguay is 1,068 kilometers long, populated, and passable at most of its access points. Brazil is the international destination most often chosen by Uruguayans in the region, as the land route greatly facilitates this activity.

According to the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism, Florianópolis was the Brazilian city most visited by Uruguayans in 2019/2020. By air, Brazil was the second most visited destination by Uruguayans in 2020.