Tourism

Tourism in Brazil is a growing sector and key to the economy of several regions of the country. The country had 5.1 million visitors in 2010, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the second main destination in South America, and third in Latin America after Mexico and Argentina. Revenues from international tourists reached US$5.9 billion in 2010, showing a recovery from the 2008-2009 economic crisis. Historical records of 5.4 million visitors and US$6.775 billion in receipts were reached in 2011.

Brazil offers for both domestic and international tourists, an ample gamut of options, with natural areas being its most popular tourism product, a combination of ecotourism with leisure and recreation, mainly sun and beach, and adventure travel, as well ashistoric and cultural tourism. Among the most popular destinations are the Amazon Rainforest, beaches and dunes in the Northeast Region, the Pantanal in the Center-West Region, beaches at Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina, cultural and historic tourism in Minas Gerais and business trips to São Paulo city.

Tourism is a Priority to Brazil

Brazil has a Ministry of Tourism and state and city administrations are investing as seriously in the area as the private sector. That translates into better roads, more jobs, an improvement of community life, and many other benefits that are turning Brazil into a more desirable destination than ever.

The top tourist attractions in Brazil :

1.Christ the Redeemer

Christ the Redeemer is the famous statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro . Located at the peak of the 700 meters (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain, it provides a sweeping panorama from the interior of Guanabara bay to the north, to Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas to the south. The Christ the Redeemer statue stands 39.6 meters (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 meters (31 ft) pedestal and has become an icon of Rio and Brazil.

2.Iguazu Falls

One of the great natural wonders of the world, Iguaçu Falls is situated on the border between Brazil and Argentina. The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along the Iguazu River. The most impressive of them all is the Devil's Throat a U-shaped with a height of 82 meter (269 ft). The falls can be reached from the cities Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil and Puerto Iguazú in Argentina, as well as from Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. On the Brazilian side there is a long walkway along the canyon with an extension to the lower base of the Devil's Throat.

3.Amazon River

At approximately 6,400 km (4,000 miles) the Amazon River is the second longest river in the world, just slightly shorter than the Nile, and the largest river by volume. The Amazon has over 3,000 recognized species of fish and new species are still being discovered. The Amazon Basin is covered by half of the planet's remaining rainforests. Although a tenth of the world's estimated 10 million living species live in the Amazon rainforest, jungle tours are more about the boating upriver into the damp, buzzing, oppressive ambience than actually spotting animals.