Due to the favorable exchange rate, the Argentines took over Brazil in 2024 and again this year, to the extent that the neighboring country was narrowly beaten a new record in international tourism. Between January and November, a total of 9 million people landed on Brazilian soil, an increase of 34% compared to the previous year. The best year so far was 2024.
The main visitors, a third of the total, were Argentinians: 3.1 million, 82.1% more than last year. They also topped the rankings in 2024.
Chile takes second place among the largest emitterswith 721,497 arrivals (and an increase of 24%), moving the United States into third place with 677,888 arrivals and a growth of just 5.8%. Uruguay is in fourth place with 487,514 tourists, an increase of 37.2% compared to the January-November 2024 period, and Paraguay is in fifth place with 454,327 landings of foreigners, an increase of 14.4%.
The tourism boom in Argentina is so big Brazil has already achieved its target for 2027of 8.1 million people.
The dollars Argentines left for tourism were in addition to the $7.17 billion the Brazilian economy received in the first 11 months of the year. The foreign exchange volume did not grow as fast as the number of people: 8.5% compared to the previous year.
According to the Brazilian government, the improvement in tourism figures contributed to the addition of 1.5 million formal business creations, representing a positive balance of 90,000 new jobs.
Meanwhile, in Argentina, statistics about the number of tourists coming and going are controversial. As Clarín published, the Ministry of Tourism, led by INDEC, did not agree with the measurement of the entry of foreigners Daniel Scioli It has cut funding for the statistics office and will conduct its own measurement.
This year attendance was down 22% and 2025 would end with one Record deficit in tourism.
The underlying issue in the confrontation between Tourism and INDEC is the international tourism survey, which, among other things, measures how much foreign visitors spend in foreign currency during their stay. The Secretariat headed by Scioli believes that the figure is distorted and does not reflect actual consumption.
Since the beginning of the year, Tourism has been seeking a change in the way data on international tourism is presented, in discussions with INDEC, but also with the Central Bank. It is an area that shows clear deficits this year: The year 2025 could end with a net dollar outflow of up to $9 billion.
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