This was stated by Ana Caselato, Marketing Director of TurisRio. The official commented that in 2025, Rio de Janeiro received almost 2.2 million foreign tourists, who met the icons of the city, such as the Christ the Redeemer, the Sugar Loaf, Copacaba and others, but also toured the interior of the state.
As for the Christ the Redeemer – one of the New 7 Wonders of the World – Caselato indicated that with certainty since the monument was elected as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, the interest in the place increased significantly, “today the tourist who arrives in Brazil, cannot stop visiting that symbol of the wonderful city. Knowing the monument, going up to the place, enjoying that beautiful view and getting in touch with the nature that surrounds the monument, is something that everyone wants to do, both local, national and international tourists.”
In that context, the official said that the expectations for 2026 are the best, “we had a very good 2025 and we believe that 2026 will be even better, because we are already receiving more flights, more events and more tourists of course, so the expectations are the best possible.”
For the carnival, at the end of February, Rio de Janeiro 2026 received about 300,000 foreign tourists, marking a record and surpassing the figures of previous years with significant growth, also highlighting a hotel occupancy of more than 98%. In total, it is estimated that more than 8 million people participated in the carnival festivities. And the expectations for the Easter days are also very good.
On the other hand, last year, about 2,196,443 international tourists arrived in Rio de Janeiro, consolidating its position as one of the main gateways to Brazil for foreign visitors. The growth was 43.7% compared to the accumulated total of the previous year, when 1,528,133 arrived.
Rio de Janeiro’s performance in 2025 reflects the general trend experienced by the country. Since Brazil closed the year with 9,287,196 international tourists. This result represents an increase of 37.1% compared to 2024 and confirms the consolidation of the country as an increasingly competitive destination worldwide.
Among the country’s issuing markets, Argentina remains in the lead with 3,386,823 tourists, which reaffirms the strength of regional tourism and South American integration. They were followed by Chileans, with 801,921 visitors, and Americans, who totaled 759,637 arrivals in Brazil in 2025. Travelers from European countries such as France, Portugal, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Spain totaled 1,274,567 visitors.
