Brazilian tourism authorities are preparing for a milestone year. Speaking to Reuters on 13 February, Embratur president Marcelo Freixo said the country expects to welcome “more than 10 million” international visitors in 2026—up from the historic record of 9.3 million in 2025. If the forecast materialises, Brazil will have doubled the size of its foreign-arrival market in barely four years.
Freixo credited three main drivers. First is the sharp post-pandemic rebound and pent-up global demand for long-haul leisure, exemplified by a 37 % jump in foreign arrivals last year. Second is an aggressive aviation-connectivity agenda, under which the Ministry of Tourism and airline partners added more than 60 new weekly international frequencies in the past 12 months. Third is a marketing strategy that positions Brazil’s cultural mega-events—Carnaval, São João and New Year’s Eve in the Northeast—as anchors for year-round visitation rather than isolated spikes.
The agency is shifting budget away from generic beach campaigns toward segmented promotions in key source markets. In Argentina, for example, Embratur will run its first dedicated São João festival road-show, betting that short-haul regional travellers will fill seats in Brazil’s low winter season. Freixo also confirmed that talks are under way with the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs to streamline business-event visas and expand fast-track lanes at RioGaleão and São Paulo-Guarulhos, moves designed to capture more MICE traffic.
![Brazil projects record 10 million foreign visitors in 2026, says Embratur chief]()
Travellers navigating Brazil’s evolving entry rules don’t have to go it alone. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) offers up-to-date guidance on e-Visa eligibility, document checklists and concierge processing, helping tourists, business delegates and MICE organisers secure the right paperwork quickly—freeing them to focus on flights, venues and itineraries.
For multinationals, the prospect of 10 million visitors has practical implications. Early-stage foreign assignees can expect tighter competition for housing in Rio and São Paulo, while corporate-travel managers should budget for higher airfares as airlines shift capacity toward Brazil’s leisure peaks. Companies planning incentive trips or regional conferences in 2026 are being advised to lock in hotel blocks now, especially during Carnival-adjacent weeks. Logistics providers, meanwhile, anticipate increased demand for multilingual ground-handling staff and temporary import services for event equipment.
Industry analysts note that sustaining the growth curve will require complementary policy work—above all, finalising the long-promised e-Visa reciprocity agreements with the United States, Canada and Australia, and expanding Brazil’s immigration desks before the COP30 climate summit in Belém in 2027. If those bottlenecks are resolved, Brazil could conceivably reach 12 million foreign visitors by 2027, Freixo said.
Freixo credited three main drivers. First is the sharp post-pandemic rebound and pent-up global demand for long-haul leisure, exemplified by a 37 % jump in foreign arrivals last year. Second is an aggressive aviation-connectivity agenda, under which the Ministry of Tourism and airline partners added more than 60 new weekly international frequencies in the past 12 months. Third is a marketing strategy that positions Brazil’s cultural mega-events—Carnaval, São João and New Year’s Eve in the Northeast—as anchors for year-round visitation rather than isolated spikes.
The agency is shifting budget away from generic beach campaigns toward segmented promotions in key source markets. In Argentina, for example, Embratur will run its first dedicated São João festival road-show, betting that short-haul regional travellers will fill seats in Brazil’s low winter season. Freixo also confirmed that talks are under way with the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs to streamline business-event visas and expand fast-track lanes at RioGaleão and São Paulo-Guarulhos, moves designed to capture more MICE traffic.
Travellers navigating Brazil’s evolving entry rules don’t have to go it alone. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) offers up-to-date guidance on e-Visa eligibility, document checklists and concierge processing, helping tourists, business delegates and MICE organisers secure the right paperwork quickly—freeing them to focus on flights, venues and itineraries.
For multinationals, the prospect of 10 million visitors has practical implications. Early-stage foreign assignees can expect tighter competition for housing in Rio and São Paulo, while corporate-travel managers should budget for higher airfares as airlines shift capacity toward Brazil’s leisure peaks. Companies planning incentive trips or regional conferences in 2026 are being advised to lock in hotel blocks now, especially during Carnival-adjacent weeks. Logistics providers, meanwhile, anticipate increased demand for multilingual ground-handling staff and temporary import services for event equipment.
Industry analysts note that sustaining the growth curve will require complementary policy work—above all, finalising the long-promised e-Visa reciprocity agreements with the United States, Canada and Australia, and expanding Brazil’s immigration desks before the COP30 climate summit in Belém in 2027. If those bottlenecks are resolved, Brazil could conceivably reach 12 million foreign visitors by 2027, Freixo said.
