A view of Rio de Janiero from the iconic Cristo statue. Photo courtesy of the Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau reports that the number of Chinese tourists arriving in Brazil has been increasing every year, and reached 61,000 last year. According to data from Embratur, the government agency responsible for promoting tourism in Brazil, China advanced four positions in the overall ranking of countries sending visitors to Brazil.
Nevertheless, 135 million Chinese went on business and leisure trips in 2017, so Brazil still has a long way to go to attract a larger share of this demographic.
In order to boost the tourist flow between the countries, China and Brazil have entered into an agreement to facilitate visas for citizens of both countries. Since October 1, tourist visas started being valid for five years, with multiple comings and goings, with a stay period of 90 days, renewable for up to another 90 days, every 12 months. In addition, the Ministry of Tourism has an open call notice to accredit specialized tourism agencies.
With these efforts, the Ministry expects to welcome 90,000 Chinese tourists by 2022.
Of the total number of Chinese tourists who visit Brazil, 68% go for business, and 19%, for leisure. When the trip is for leisure, Rio de Janeiro is the top destination, reports the RioCVB. In fact, the city has been nominated in three categories for the Ctrip Top Destination Awards 2018, the annual award of China’s largest online tourism agency.
The nominations are in the categories of “Best Destination for Photography,” “Best Destination for Outdoor Sports” and “Best Destination for Beer and Wine Culture.”
In 2017, Rio won the competition in the category “Best Destination for Photography.”
