The Christ the Redeemer, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, was Brazil’s most sought-after attraction abroad in 2024. And in this context, Rio de Janeiro continues to lead as the most sought-after destination by foreigners in search engines.
Rio de Janeiro continues to be the most sought-after destination in Brazil among international tourists on internet search engines.
And in 2025, Rio de Janeiro is already the main reserved destination. In addition, the Marvelous City also leads the ranking of the 10 most searched Brazilian attractions on the internet, with Christ the Redeemer as the first on the list, with more than 175,000 searches in a year.
The data was released by Embratur (Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion) and the Ministry of Tourism of Brazil (MTur).
The attractive carioca, which will be 100 years old in 2031, gains even more prominence with the launch of the Embratur campaign “Río, Ciudad Bendita”, held in mid-March, during the Lisbon Tourism Exchange (BTL).
The objective of the action is to promote the Rio de Janeiro capital in the European market, highlighting its potential for religious and sports tourism.
According to the president of Embratur, Marcelo Freixo, the success of the attraction is one more incentive for the Agency to promote the campaign to promote Rio as a Blessed City. “The world identifies Brazil by seeing Christ the Redeemer. Rio de Janeiro is the great postcard and the gateway to Brazil. But the greatest wealth of our city does not translate into images, but in our ability to welcome all the people of the world with joy, regardless of their creed, skin color or region of the planet. This is the River that we will show to the world,” he said.
Christ the Redeemer
Christ the Redeemer, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, is an icon of Brazil, the statue is 30 meters high and weighs 635 tons. The construction lasted from 1922 to 1931, although the concept of a statue of this type first emerged in the 1850s. He has lightning rods in his arms, head and hands: on average, lightning strikes him 12 times every summer.
The 10 most sought-after Brazilian attractions abroad in 2024
In a ranking prepared with data from the Similarweb platform, which measures internet traffic, Christ the Redeemer is followed by the Iguazú Falls and the also from Rio de Janeiro Sugar Loaf. The list includes four attractions in Rio de Janeiro: the Maracaná and the Museum of Tomorrow join those already mentioned.
The list:
1. Christ the Redeemer – RJ with 175.7 thousand searches;
2. Iguazu Falls – PR, with 50 thousand searches;
3. Sugarloaf Mountain – RJ, with 43.9 thousand searches;
4. Lençóis Maranhenses – MA, with 12.3 thousand searches
5. Maracaná – RJ, with 12 thousand searches;
6. Chapada Diamantina – BA, with 11.5 thousand searches;
7. Lage Park – RJ, with 6.9 thousand searches;
8. Museum of Tomorrow – RJ, with 6.3 thousand searches
9. Pelourinho – BA, with 5.9 thousand searches;
10. Paulista Avenue – SP, with 5 thousand searches
And it continues in 2025
For this year, the trend is for Rio de Janeiro to remain on the list of the most wanted, according to Embratur’s Data Intelligence Management. In the study, the Agency highlights that the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, even though they have the largest populations in the country, are still absolute leaders, appearing at the top of almost all search and reserve lists.
In addition, the data reflect the strong growth observed in the arrival of international tourists to Brazil in 2024, as well as an increase by 2025. Brazil leads ticket reservations for this year in South America, driven by the Latin American and North American markets.
Record in the first months of the year
In January of this year, the Marvelous City and other destinations in the state of Rio de Janeiro received 502,259 foreign tourists, an increase of 50.4% compared to the same period of 2024, when 333,903 international visitors arrived.
Data from the Ministry of Tourism, Embratur and the Federal Police reveal that the tourists came mainly from Argentina, Chile, the United States, Uruguay and France. The secret to continuing to attract so many visitors, especially in the case of the capital, lies in the combination of dazzling landscapes, iconic beaches, a lively nightlife and unique cultural experiences such as Christ the Redeemer, the Sugar Loaf and the lively samba circles in Lapa.
“Rio de Janeiro is the postcard and the main gateway to Brazil. We are investing in promoting international tourism, improving infrastructure and facilitating access, making the capital and other fantastic destinations of the state even more attractive to foreigners,” said Marcelo Freixo.