Tourism has room to grow in Brazil

Article Excerpt

Tourism is already important business for Brazil, but it could be even bigger. According to World Bank data, the country welcomed 6.6 million tourists in 2016 (boosted by the Rio Olympics). This ranks the country 43rd in the world, far behind the 83 million visitors to France (No. 1) and the 35 million visitors to Mexico (No. 9). Today, tourism directly contributes 3.1% of the gross domestic product and employs about 2.8% of the workforce. Meanwhile, other countries in Latin America, especially Mexico, Costa Rica and Chile, receive much larger contributions from tourism to both employment and GDP. One of the main tourist attractions in Brazil is the Carnival of Brazil, an annual six-day festival normally held in late February or early March. The main festivals which attract the biggest crowds are held in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Vitória. Rio de Janeiro’s carnival alone drew 1.1 million tourists in 2017 and generated almost $1 billion in revenues. revenues…