Brazil has welcomed around 7 million foreign tourists since the start of 2026, whilst spending by international visitors exceeded 45.6 billion Brazilian reais (around US$8.66 billion) between January and September, an increase of 10 per cent compared with the same period last year.
According to the
website of the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism, citing data from the Central Bank, September alone recorded record tourist spending of 4.9 billion Brazilian reais (approximately US$931 million).
The rise in tourist spending had a positive impact on the hotel, restaurant and tourism services sectors, as well as small businesses, coinciding with growth in international air traffic. The number of passengers on international flights reached 22.7 million during the first nine months of the year, an increase of 7.2 per cent year-on-year.
Business tourism contributed to the sector’s strong performance, generating revenue of 11.07 billion Brazilian reais (approximately US$2.1 billion) between January and September 2026, a rise of 7.41 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to the
source.
The impact of growth in tourism activity extended to the labour market, with the sector creating 62,000 formal jobs between August 2025 and August 2026. The total number of people employed in the sector rose to 2.42 million, representing around 5 per cent of the country’s workforce.
In a move aimed at attracting more visitors and boosting regional tourism, Brazil, in collaboration with Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, launched a joint tourism portal, which was unveiled on 27 October 2026 during a meeting of tourism ministers from the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), hosted by the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo. The new platform allows travellers to explore tourist destinations according to their interests and to plan multi-country itineraries.
Against the backdrop of growing interest in the tourism sector, the BRICS countries and their partners are adopting a range of initiatives to develop tourism services and enhance the appeal of their destinations, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence to educational, health and cultural tourism.
In China, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has announced plans to expand the use of artificial intelligence in the tourism sector by integrating it into tourism services and developing interactive cultural experiences that combine digital technologies with real-world activities. The ministry has launched 14 pilot projects to apply these technologies in areas including museums, theatres, winter tourism and inbound tourism, according to
Xinhua News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS.
In Indonesia, meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism is promoting six tourist villages as destinations for school field trips, with the aim of combining recreation with hands-on learning from the local environment. The initiative includes villages in Bali, Yogyakarta, West and Central Java, and the Bangka Belitung Islands, where pupils can learn about nature, culture and community life and take part in activities related to science, the environment and entrepreneurship. The ministry is also working to train those in charge of these destinations and develop programmes that align with the school curriculum, whilst ensuring safety standards are met and offering special rates for school groups, according to
ANTARA.
In Thailand, the Tourism Authority aims to increase visitor numbers from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries by 4.3 per cent and boost tourism revenue from these markets by 6.2 per cent during the 2027 financial year. The strategy focuses on Asian markets – Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore – through specialised promotional campaigns covering health tourism, cultural tourism, culinary arts and shopping. The Authority has developed offers for family tourism in the Vietnamese market, alongside the promotion of new cities and tourist destinations, according to
Vietnam News Agency (VNA), a partner of TV BRICS.