After visa exemption, Chinese interest in destination Brazil soars

After President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s announcement of visa exemption for Chinese on short-term trips, Chinese citizens sought more flights to Brazil. According to the Chinese platform Qunar, in just one hour, demand for trips to Brasília increased by 84%, 27% to Rio de Janeiro and 22% to São Paulo.

Asian media say that growth is not limited to isolated searches, as weekly queries for flights from Chinese cities to Brazilian destinations have increased fivefold.

The Brazilian government’s decision was based on the principle of reciprocity, since China allows Brazilian citizens to enter without a visa for stays of up to 30 days.

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Lula made the statement to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a telephone conversation last Thursday (22). Planalto reported that the exemption “aims to expand cooperation in frontier areas of knowledge”.

Embratur informs the Red Portal that the number of Chinese visitor arrivals in Brazil increased by 34.7% in 2025, when 103,122 tourists visited the country. In 2024, arrivals were 76,524 Chinese.

The Agency says that China is one of the priority markets for Brazilian international tourism, both due to the growing volume of travelers around the world and the high consumption power of Chinese tourists.

Last year, Brazil signed a series of cooperation agreements with important companies in China to attract more and more tourists from the Asian country to Brazilian destinations with a focus on digital communication, cultural exchange and support for international marketing.

According to GlobalData, around 162 million Chinese tourists traveled internationally in 2024. Growth is projected to reach 310 million by 2040.

However, Brazil still occupies a discreet position in the preference ranking, ranking 49th among the destinations most visited by Chinese, with only 76 thousand visitors in 2024, according to Embratur.