São Paulo is a city full of charms: here you’ll find numerous museums and cultural options as well as a wide range of typical restaurants from all over the world for all tastes and budgets. It’s no surprise, then, that the metropolis receives thousands of tourists every year, earning it the title of Brazil’s best-selling leisure destination.
And we’re not the ones saying that, are we? And yes, the Brazilian Association of Tour Operators (BRAZTOA), in partnership with the consultancy Sprint Dados, in a recently released survey on tourism in the country. In addition to the capital, destinations in the interior of São Paulo and along the coast are also receiving more and more visitors, placing the state as one of the country’s leading tourism destinations.
Almost half of tourists visit São Paulo for leisure
In first place in the ranking, the São Paulo capital is ahead of Maceió, Porto Seguro (tied for 2nd place), Porto de Galinhas and Recife (3rd).
Of all the tourists, 49% came to the capital for leisure. This is not surprising, given that the metropolis has award-winning restaurants, multiculturalism, exclusive events and also exuberant natural landscapes. In other words, the title of best-selling leisure destination is more than deserved!
Tourism in Brazil grew in 2023
In addition to the ranking of the best-selling leisure destinations, the study also provides an overview of tourism as a whole. In 2023, for example, Brazilians made more domestic trips: they accounted for 60% of sales, raising more than R$11 billion. This means an increase of 122% compared to the figures for 2022. International travel, on the other hand, brought in more than R$ 7 billion.
In all, tour operators embarked almost 12 million passengers last year. This is the highest number ever recorded in the country.