Brazil, Guyana and More Post Over Thirty Percent and Twenty-Four Percent Tourism Growth as South America Leads Americas

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Brazil and Guyana post 37 percent and 24 percent tourism growth as South America leads the Americas, with international tourist arrivals rising sharply in both destinations during 2025 while the South American subregion grew 7% overall. The latest UN Tourism data put Brazil among the strongest-performing destinations in the Americas, while Guyana’s double-digit increase highlights growing international demand for smaller nature and adventure markets.

Brazil Records 37 Percent Jump in International Arrivals

Brazil emerged as one of the strongest tourism performers in the Americas during 2025.

According to UN Tourism’s January 2026 World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals to Brazil increased 37% compared with 2024.

That performance was far above the overall result for the Americas, where international arrivals increased only 1% during the year.

Brazil’s result was also significantly stronger than South America’s 7% increase.

The scale of the expansion is confirmed by Brazil’s official tourism statistics. The country received approximately 9.3 million international tourists in 2025, establishing a new annual record.

Brazil and Guyana Tourism Growth

Note: Guyana’s 24% result was based on data reported through November 2025 when UN Tourism compiled its January 2026 assessment.

The figures show how dramatically individual South American destinations outperformed the broader Americas market.

Brazil Welcomed Around 9.3 Million International Tourists

Brazil’s 37% increase translated into approximately 9.3 million international tourist arrivals during 2025.

That was a major increase from roughly 6.8 million arrivals recorded in 2024.

The performance pushed Brazil well beyond previous annual tourism records.

Official Brazilian data also show that aviation was central to this expansion.

More than 6.1 million international visitors arrived in Brazil by air during 2025, representing approximately 66% of international arrivals.

Air arrivals increased 33.2% compared with 2024.

São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro were the country’s largest international aviation gateways, underlining their importance to Brazil’s tourism recovery and expansion.

South America Outperforms the Wider Americas

Brazil and Guyana’s results were part of a broader shift in tourism performance across South America.

International tourist arrivals to South America increased 7% during 2025, according to UN Tourism.

Central America followed with growth of approximately 5%.

By comparison, the Americas as a whole recorded growth of just 1%.

The difference partly reflects uneven performance across the region. While several Latin American and Caribbean destinations experienced substantial growth, weaker results elsewhere reduced the overall Americas figure.

Globally, international tourist arrivals increased approximately 4% during 2025.

South America’s 7% result therefore also exceeded the worldwide growth rate.

Guyana Records 24 Percent Tourism Increase

Guyana was another standout destination.

UN Tourism reported a 24% increase in international tourist arrivals, based on information available through November 2025.

That placed Guyana behind Brazil in the organisation’s ranking of some of the strongest-performing destinations in the Americas.

The percentage increase is particularly significant because Guyana operates from a much smaller tourism base than Brazil.

This distinction matters when comparing the two destinations.

A 24% increase in Guyana does not mean that the country received nearly as many visitors as Brazil. Instead, it demonstrates the speed at which international demand expanded relative to Guyana’s previous visitor volume.

Guyana Builds Its Tourism Appeal Around Nature

Guyana occupies a distinctive position within South American tourism.

Unlike destinations built around major resort markets or large heritage cities, Guyana’s international tourism identity is strongly associated with nature, wildlife and adventure.

Its tourism assets include rainforest environments, rivers, waterfalls and community-based experiences.

Kaieteur Falls remains one of the country’s most internationally recognised natural attractions.

Guyana’s relatively low-density tourism model can appeal to travellers looking for destinations beyond the most heavily visited parts of South America.

That creates opportunities in several tourism segments, including:

• Ecotourism
• Wildlife travel
• Adventure tourism
• Community-based tourism
• Rainforest experiences
• Birdwatching
• Cultural tourism
• Expedition-style travel

Strong percentage growth could increase international attention on these sectors.

Brazil’s Growth Comes From a Much Larger Tourism Base

Brazil’s performance has a different scale.

The country offers a broad tourism portfolio ranging from major cities and beaches to the Amazon, Pantanal and extensive cultural and natural attractions.

Rio de Janeiro remains one of South America’s best-known international tourism destinations, while São Paulo functions as a major business, events and aviation centre.

Brazil also has internationally recognised destinations such as Iguaçu Falls and extensive coastal tourism markets.

That diversity allows the country to attract visitors across leisure, business, nature, cultural and events tourism.

Brazil’s 37% increase is therefore notable not only because of the percentage itself but also because it occurred across a large national tourism market.

Argentina Became Brazil’s Biggest Source Market

Regional travel played an important role in Brazil’s record year.

Argentina was Brazil’s largest international source market in 2025, supplying more than three million visitors.

Chile, the United States, Paraguay and Uruguay were also major markets.

Strong demand from neighbouring countries demonstrates the importance of regional connectivity to Brazil’s tourism economy.

Land borders support a substantial share of visitor movements, while international aviation connects Brazilian gateways with markets throughout the Americas and other continents.

This combination gives Brazil a diversified inbound transport network rather than making it dependent exclusively on long-haul aviation.

Aviation Supports Brazil’s International Expansion

International air capacity remains particularly important.

Brazil’s Ministry of Ports and Airports reported that more than 6.1 million international visitors arrived by air in 2025.

Air arrivals increased 33.2% year on year.

The aviation trend has continued into 2026.

During the first quarter of this year, 2.33 million international visitors arrived in Brazil by air, an increase of 19.4% compared with the same period of 2025.

When air, land, maritime and river arrivals are combined, Brazil recorded approximately 3.74 million international arrivals during the first quarter of 2026.

This means the country’s strong 2025 performance was not immediately followed by a contraction in early 2026.

Brazil’s 2026 Growth Rate Should Not Be Confused With 37 Percent

The timing of the statistics is important.

The 37% figure applies to 2025 compared with 2024.

It should not be described as Brazil’s 2026 tourism growth rate.

Current official Brazilian data indicate that growth is continuing in 2026, but the percentages vary according to period and transport mode.

For example, international air arrivals increased 19.4% during the first quarter.

More recently, official government figures show more than four million international visitors arrived in Brazil by air between January and July 2026, representing a 12% increase over the comparable period of 2025.

This suggests Brazil is building on its record year, although growth is naturally moderating from the exceptional 37% increase recorded in 2025.

Brazil Is Already Extending Its Record Into 2026

The latest government statistics provide further evidence of sustained international demand.

Brazil recorded more than four million international air arrivals through July 2026.

The figure compares with approximately 3.5 million during the same period of 2025.

Growth was recorded across every month of the January-July period.

This provides important context for the UN Tourism results.

Brazil’s 37% increase was not simply a short-lived statistical jump at the beginning of 2025. International travel demand has remained comparatively strong into the following year.

However, full-year 2026 performance cannot yet be determined.

South America’s Tourism Map Is Becoming More Diverse

Brazil and Guyana also demonstrate two very different pathways to tourism growth.

Brazil is a continental-scale destination with major international cities, beaches, large airports, events and globally recognised natural attractions.

Guyana is a smaller emerging destination where nature, wilderness and low-density tourism play a much larger role in international positioning.

Both recorded double-digit growth.

That suggests rising South American tourism demand is not limited to one destination model.

International travellers are showing demand for both established tourism economies and less-visited destinations offering specialised experiences.

Other Destinations Also Recorded Strong Gains

UN Tourism’s data show that Brazil and Guyana were not isolated cases.

Several destinations across the Americas recorded significant growth during 2025.

Among the destinations highlighted by UN Tourism were:

• Brazil: +37%
• Guyana: +24%
• Dominica: +16%
• Curaçao: +13%
• Bolivia: +13%
• Trinidad and Tobago: +12%
• Panama: +11%
• Ecuador: +9%
• Guatemala: +8%
• Honduras: +7%

The results show that some of the fastest growth occurred outside the region’s traditionally largest international tourism destinations.

Growth From 2019 Shows a Longer-Term Shift

Comparison with pre-pandemic 2019 provides another perspective.

UN Tourism reported that Brazil’s international tourist arrivals were 46% above 2019 levels.

Guyana stood approximately 45% above 2019.

Those numbers indicate that the 2025 increases were not simply restoring visitor volumes lost during the pandemic.

Both destinations had moved substantially beyond their 2019 international arrival levels.

This is particularly important when assessing whether growth represents recovery or genuine market expansion.

For Brazil and Guyana, the evidence points towards both.

Tourism Growth Creates Infrastructure Challenges

Rapid increases in arrivals also create practical challenges.

Airports, hotels, transportation systems, attractions and tourism workforces need sufficient capacity to accommodate additional visitors.

Destinations also need to consider how tourism growth affects natural environments and local communities.

This is particularly relevant for ecologically sensitive destinations.

Brazil and Guyana both market major nature-based tourism assets, meaning increased visitor demand needs to be balanced with conservation and destination management.

Growth alone is therefore not a complete measure of tourism success.

The longer-term question is whether destinations can convert higher visitor numbers into sustainable economic benefits while protecting the resources attracting travellers in the first place.