This means a 51.8% increase in foreign arrivals and aims to exceed the annual target of 1.8 million planned by the State Government.
The most visited place in the city of light is Christ the Redeemer, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
In Rio de Janeiro, the first half of 2025 recorded 1,154,034 visitors, with an increase of 51.8% compared to 2024, where there were 760,280 registered visitors. These data indicate that everything points to exceeding the annual target of 63% increase, which would be 1.8 million tourists.
That is to say that with this rate of growth, up to 2 million foreign tourists are expected to end 2025, which would represent a new historical record.
Governor Claudio Castro said in this regard “these are the fruits of a public policy and a solid tourism promotion. We invest in campaigns, international presence, professionalization of the sector and take advantage of great opportunities, such as the FIFA Club World Cup, to position Rio de Janeiro in the global destination. International tourism is the fundamental vector of growth and job creation.”
According to reports, the numbers of tourists are constantly increasing in recent months. Every month there was a higher score of 45% compared to 2024, with the highest score in May (+55.25), with the “Todo Mundo no Rio” event, which was presented by Lady Gaga. June ended with 121,497 international tourists, increasing by 51.7%.
“We will have a historic year in international tourism, with numbers that prove the effectiveness of our promotion strategy. Rio is more present abroad, it is competitive and is prepared to receive tourists from all over the world. And most importantly: these visitors are visiting all the regions of the state, mobilizing the economy and generating employment in the cities of Rio de Janeiro,” confirmed the Secretary of Tourism of Rio de Janeiro, Gustavo Tutuca.
Among the main issuing countries, Argentina leads with 422,946 tourists in the first half, about 80.8% more than last year. It is followed by Chile (198,239), with 28.6% more; and the United States (126,366), with 39.2% growth.
Together, the three countries account for 65% of Rio’s international flow in 2025.