Corcovado Train

Rio de Janeiro expects to welcome more than 1 million international tourists by the end of 2023

The State of Rio de Janeiro is about to reach a remarkable milestone in the tourism sector: surpassing the mark of 1 million foreign visitors, as revealed by a survey carried out by the state Department of Tourism in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism. From January to October this year, the state’s municipalities delighted and welcomed 948,563 international tourists, surpassing the whole of 2022, which recorded 652,962 foreign visitors over 12 months.

October stood out, with an impressive 92,918 visitors, surpassing even the same period in 2019, when 90,370 tourists explored the wonders of Rio. This is the first time in the year that, comparing month to month, the pre-Covid-19 pandemic period was exceeded, signaling a notable recovery in the sector.

The data released by the Ministry of Tourism, based on Federal Police information on the entry of foreigners into the country for tourism, reveal that so far this year, 59.41% of the more than 948,000 visitors came from South America. They are followed by European tourists (22.29%), North America (13.9%), Asia (1.99%), Oceania (0.86%) and Africa (0.24%). The predominant mode of entry was by air.

With growing interest in the State of Rio as a destination for foreign tourists, the Department of Tourism is optimistic about 2023, aiming to beat the 2019 record, when 1,252,267 international tourists explored the region’s wonders. This month’s figures are not yet available, but to surpass the pre-pandemic numbers, November and December need to bring in just under 304,000 tourists. The promising outlook points to a robust recovery and a vibrant rebound of tourism in the State of Rio de Janeiro.