A monthly survey carried out jointly by the doorway and by Ministry of Tourism identified an increase of more than 50% in the flow of American tourists to the Brazil, through April 31 this year, compared to the same period of 2022. At the beginning of 2023, the country received 224,882 American visitors, compared to 441,007 for the whole of last year. The survey, published on June 1, also revealed that 2.7 million tourists landed in the national territory, with the WE the country with the second highest attendance by number of travellers.

American tourists generally spend, on average, 93 US$ compared to 47 US$ of other tourists, which significantly impacts the collection of national taxes, according to the president of the Rio Let’s Win Association, Marcelo Conde, which predicts the arrival of 700,000 American tourists in the country by the end of this year. The influx represents 60% more of the volume of travelers registered in 2022.

“The figures attest that the visa waiver for Americans, Canadians, Australians and Japanese, in effect since June 2019, was a heavy-handed measure that only brought benefits to the country’s economy. It is urgent that the executive power use common sense and reconsider the decision to require a visa again from these four countries, so that we can increase the dynamism of the Brazilian economy. Otherwise, we are counting on the union and action of the group that supports tourism to prevent the advancement of this measure in the National Congress”, explained Marcelo Conde.

The visa exemption for the four nationalities, a measure adopted under the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), was reviewed by the current President’s PT team and announced to come into effect in early October. The decision has been strongly criticized by representatives of the tourism sector, who foresee a strong setback in the good results obtained. Faced with the current scenario, the tourism sector has requested the direct intervention of the Minister of Tourism, Daniela Carneiro (Union of Brazil) and the president of Embratur, Marcelo Freixo (PT)to rescind the decision.

According to the coordinator of Tourism Business Chamber and president of Tourism Council of the National Confederation of Trade in Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC), Alexandre Sampaiothe decline in visa exemptions has a negative impact on all efforts to promote and consolidate Brazil as a destination abroad.

“Not only the figures of the increase in the number of tourists coming to Brazil from these countries at the beginning of this year prove the success of such a measure by the previous administration, but also its implementation at this time, which in a recent vote of the deputies in the Senate, in which Embratur would lose the possibility of having resources of the S system and an agreement was created for us to study a partnership to publicize our destination abroad. goes in the opposite direction and recreates a great obstacle for us to reverse our current deficit in the tourism account”, says Alexandre Sampaio.

Visa requirements for Americans, Canadians, Australians and Japanese are also expected to affect the Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) of Brazil, according to the president of Brazilian Association of Event Companies (National ABEOC), Fatima Facuri.

“The MICE sector is highly dependent on the presence of foreign participants at events, conferences and trade fairs held in Brazil. By requiring visas from these countries, the Brazilian government would create an additional barrier to the entry of tourists wishing to participate in business events and would promote a bureaucratic obstacle that could discourage foreign participation. This could lead to a significant reduction in the number of foreign participants at MICE events, affecting both attendance and the revenue generated by these events,” underlined the president of the National ABEOC.

Former Minister of Tourism and current CEO of Lacères Group, Vinicius Lummertzalso criticized the current government’s decision, saying it represents a “misinterpretation of Brazilian diplomatic tradition”.

“The visa requirement for North American tourists is an error in the interpretation of Brazilian diplomatic tradition. The national interest of Brazil lies in the development of the tourism economy and therefore in the export of services and the creation of jobs – we have no interest in boasting about reciprocity, a concept impossible to apply then that the demand for emigration to the United States is so evident,” concluded the CEO. of Grupo Laceres.