Olympic Year Attracted more Tourists to Brazil than the World Cup

01/05/2017 - 10h29

2016, the year of the Olympic Games in Rio, brought more tourists to Brazil than 2014 when the country held the World Cup.

Data released on Wednesday (the 4th) by the Tourism Ministry show that the number of foreign visitors in Brazil last year reached 6,6 million, the highest number ever recorded.

According to the ministry, this was 4,8% more than in 2015 when the country received 6,3 million foreigners. The number is also greater than the 6,4 million registered in 2014, the year of the World Cup.

Tourists from abroad injected US$ 6,2 billion into the country. This amount is 6,2% more than the US$ 5,84 billion spent in 2015.

Both major events held in the country established a new baseline for the number of foreign tourists. In 2013, the number of visitors was 5,8 million. In each of the following three years, the number oscillated around a level of 10% higher.

According to data from the Ministry, Argentina continues in first place on the list of countries sending the most tourists to Brazil, followed by the United States.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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