Inbound tourism volume in Brazilian states 2020

The state of São Paulo, Brazil remained the most internationally visited state in Brazil in 2020, though with only a little over 634 thousand tourist arrivals. Rio Grande do Sul ranked second in that year, surpassing the state of Rio de Janeiro by more than 120 thousand arrivals. In total, the number of inbound visitor arrivals in Brazil in 2020 amounted to roughly 2.15 million.

São Paulo’s contribution to the Brazilian tourism sector

As the most populated state in Brazil, São Paulo plays a key role for many tourism industries in the country. In 2020, for example, the state accounted for approximately 16 percent of the total number of restaurants, bars, and similar establishments officially registered at the Ministry of Tourism in Brazil. The Souteast region, where these the state located, is also home to the greatest number of travel agencies in Brazil. Due to its location, bordering the Atlantic Ocean on the East, tourism related to sun and beach activities was the main segment for São Paulo’s travel agencies as of mid-2020.

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

Though ranking behind São Paulo in some tourism metrics, Rio de Janeiro outweighs expectations during Brazil’s worldwide famous event. In 2020, the revenue generated by the precursor of the Carnival amid the festivity season surpassed São Paulo’s by roughly 742 million Brazilian reals. In that time, there were 543 Carnival blocos -or street parade blocks- in the homonymous state’s capital, and its hotel occupancy rate marked roughly 80 percent. This was nonetheless lower than in previous years.