Brazilian tourism grew by 7.8 percent and saw revenues adding up to some BRL 189.4 billion last year, according to the Federation of Trade in Goods, Services, and Tourism of São Paulo State (FecomercioSP). The figure is said to consolidate the recovery of the sector, one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In December alone, the increase was 1.1 percent over the same month in 2022, up BRL 18.1 billion—the best result for a single month since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020.
In the annual performance, the positive result was mainly driven by activities such as the rental of means of transportation, up 18.3 percent in the period. Only the road travel segment did not perform well in 2023, with a four percent decline.
The outcome for December was driven by the accommodation segment, which rose 15.7 percent, and by air transport sales (4.4%). Vehicle agencies also improved their performance (10.8%), consolidating the positive year, as did the food segment, with restaurants and bars (8%). On the other hand, there was a drop in road transport, down 19.9 percent compared to December 2022.
