Visa applications up 48% for e-visa countries

published: Apr 03, 2018 06:18 PM, last modified: Apr 03, 2018 06:18 PM

US tourists took the most advantage of the new system. Visa applications can now be granted within about 72 hours

Mtur

Visa applications to visit Brazil by tourists from Australia, Canada, the United States and Japan - the countries eligible for the e-visa system - went up 48.2% in February and March 2018 compared with the same period of last year, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The number of visas issued to tourists from these countries jumped from 29,697 to 44,007.

Of this amount, 32,035 visas (72.8%) were electronic. US citizens were the ones who took the most advantage of the facility (23,472), followed by Australians (3,707), Canadians (3,161) and the Japanese (1,695).

According to the Ministry of Tourism, based on the average spending of visitors from the four countries, the increased tourist flows from February and March alone have injected an additional US$ 16.4 million into the Brazilian economy compared to 2017.