Brazil doubles down on event tourism to cement visitor record
São Paulo, Brazil, (EFE).
Brazil, Latin America’s leading destination for meetings and events, arrived in Barcelona this week for the IBTM World fair as it seeks to strengthen its position in the segment, sustain its historic visitor growth and diversify traveler profiles.
The country welcomed a record 7,686,549 foreign visitors between January and October 2025, up 42.2% from the same period in 2024, and forecasts 9 million arrivals this year.
Officials say Brazil’s mix of experiences—built around innovation, diversity and sustainability—blends business with culture.
One flagship example is COP30, the UN climate conference taking place for the first time in Brazil, in the Amazonian city of Belém, from Nov. 10–21, following a summit of heads of state.
“We are living an exceptional moment for Brazil, which is hosting major international events such as COP30,” said Marcelo Freixo, president of the Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion (Embratur), in a statement.
Freixo said the country is “reaping the benefits” of presenting itself as “a diverse and sustainable destination offering increasingly sought-after experiences.”
“We are turning this positive momentum into a trend while promoting social development through an activity that has already proven its strength in driving our economy,” he added.
Participation strategy in Barcelona
For that reason, “bringing this energy to IBTM is a firm step toward consolidating Brazil as a global reference in corporate travel and events,” Freixo said.
Embratur headed a 24-member Brazilian delegation that included tourism boards, international hotel chains, congress organizers, travel-management operators, corporate-event planners, airlines and convention centers.
This diversity, the agency said, reflects the strength of Brazil’s offering for the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) segment.
With a focus on attracting events in strategic sectors such as science, health, technology and the green economy, the Brazilian delegation launched promotional actions designed to spark the senses and build emotional connections during the Nov. 18–20 fair.
The goal is to reach carefully selected buyers from international associations, professional congress organizers, global corporations, MICE agencies and key intermediaries with strong potential to bring events, incentive groups and corporate travel to Brazil.
MICE as a development engine
The sector, led by Europe, generates more than $870 billion globally and could top $945 billion in 2025 while supporting more than 10 million direct jobs and 26 million indirect ones, according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).
Against that backdrop, Brazil—currently 15th in the ICCA global ranking—saw a 50% increase in international events between 2023 and 2024 and expanded from 26 to 42 host cities, a sign, according to Embratur, of “greater reach and capacity to take business tourism inland.”
“MICE tourism is a development engine. It creates jobs, mobilizes production chains and showcases our delivery capacity along with the hospitality that defines us,” Freixo said.
Connectivity with Spain
Between January and September 2025, Brazil received more than one million European visitors, up 20.11% from the same period in 2024.
Spain, host of IBTM, is the sixth-largest European source market for Brazil, posting a 24.82% increase in the first nine months of 2025, and holds strong expansion potential thanks to growing air connectivity.
There are currently six direct routes from Madrid and Barcelona to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Recife.
In December 2025 and January 2026, two new direct routes from Madrid to Recife and Fortaleza will launch, each with three weekly frequencies.
