International inbound tourism volume in Rio de Janeiro 2016-2021

In 2021, the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro registered only a little over 100 thousand international tourist arrivals, showing a significant decline in comparison to the previous two years. The state's homonymous capital is one of the leading tourist destinations in Brazil and it is known worldwide for its Carnival, which takes place each year right before Lent. However, the Carnival had to be partially canceled in that year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with only the parades in the Sambadrome allowed to take place nearly two months after the official date.

The role of Rio de Janeiro in the Brazilian tourism sector

With an area of approximately 43,750 km², Rio de Janeiro is one of the smallest states in Brazil but at the same time one of the most significant for the country’s tourism sector. For instance, the volume of international tourism in Rio de Janeiro in 2020 was the third largest recorded in Brazil. Moreover, that state has also developed the most thriving cruise tourism industry in the country. In that year, ports in Rio de Janeiro welcomed around 35 thousand international visitor arrivals by sea, which accounted for more than half of the total number of arrivals in the South American country that year.

Accommodation industry in the state’s capital

The hotel occupancy rate in “the marvelous city” —as Rio is popularly known— stood in 2019 at more than 60 percent, a figure that due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic dropped significantly in 2020. As one of Brazil’s tourist hubs, Rio is home to several hotels of the French company Accor, the largest hotel chain in Brazil in 2021. Nonetheless, the city’s lodging industry does not solely rely on global household names. In the past years, and even during the COVID-19 outbreak, Rio de Janeiro had more properties for short-term rental than other major Brazilian touristic cities, despite the noticeable decline in 2020.