Brazil: number of foreign visitor arrivals 2019, by state

The state of São Paulo, Brazil registered nearly 2.4 million tourist arrivals in 2019, the largest number among all Brazilian states that year. Rio de Janeiro was the second most visited state in the South American country, with approximately 1.3 million visitor arrivals. In total, the number of foreign visitor arrivals in Brazil that year amounted to 6.35 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 2019, for example, the state’s foodservice industry generated around three times the revenue than the second most important state: Rio de Janeiro. The South-East region, where these two states are 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.