Brazilians rank among top international tourism spenders

published: Apr 25, 2018 07:18 PM, last modified: Apr 25, 2018 07:18 PM

Spending abroad was up 10.2% in Q1 2018 compared to last year

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Brazil ranked 16th in a global ranking of international tourism spending compiled by the World Tourism Organization (WTO). According to the survey, Brazilian tourists spent US$ 19 billion last year, US$ 5 billion more than in 2016.

According to recent data from the Brazilian Central Bank data, that trend is expected to continue. Brazilian tourists spent US$ 4.932 billion in the first three months of this year abroad, 10.2% more than in the same period of 2017 and the best result since 2015.

“The numbers show that Brazilians are travelling more, and our goal is to channel all this potential to incentivise domestic tourism. We want Brazilians to discover the beauties and charms of our country more and more while still focusing on foreign visitors," said Tourism Minister Vinícius Lummertz.

Economic Recovery

The UNWTO attributes the growth in Brazilian spending to better flight routes, facilitated visas and improved economic conditions.

“Emerging economies play a key role in tourism development and we are very pleased to see the rebound of the Russian Federation and Brazil, and the ongoing rise of India, as these key emerging outbound markets contribute to growth and market diversification in many destinations”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili.

United States saw the largest growth in tourist spending (US$ 12 billion), followed by China (US$ 8 billion more), which leads the ranking of total spending worldwide. Russian tourists spent US$ 7 billion more abroad, also showing recovery from previous years’ numbers.