Brazil received 5.87 million international tourists in the first seven months of 2026, the second highest record in its history. Within this balance, the arrivals of travelers from Spain increased by 19.99% between January and July compared to the same period of the previous year, according to data from Embratur, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism (MTur) and the Federal Police (PF).
This surge of Spanish tourists represents the best performance for a January-July period since 2013. Only in July, the number of visitors from Spain advanced by 11.91%, also marking the highest level for that month in the last thirteen years.
Spain remains the thirteenth largest source market of tourists to Brazil for the year-to-date and accounts for 8.5% of European arrivals. The increase of 19.99% exceeds the average growth of 15.49% recorded by the total of European countries, placing the Spanish market as the second fastest growing in the continent, only behind Portugal.
The Brazilian Northeast was the region that benefited the most from this boom: between January and July, it received 50.7% more Spanish tourists, an increase two and a half times higher than that of the global market. This area already accounts for 12.4% of all trips by Spaniards to Brazil.
By states, Pernambuco led the advance, with a growth of 131% in arrivals from Spaniards, followed by Ceará, with 115%. Bahia and Rio Grande do Norte complete the map of the most demanded destinations by travelers from Spain in the Northeast. Nationally, São Paulo remains the main gateway to the country, ahead of Rio de Janeiro, which increased by 34%, and Paraná.
ARRIVALS BY AIR INCREASE BY 12%
In parallel, entries into the country by air increased by 12% compared to the same period in 2025 and accounted for 68% of the total international flow.
In July, arrivals through airports increased by 2.7% and represented 77.8% of all foreign visitors counted that month.
The air connectivity between Spain and Brazil has practically doubled in the last three years. The seating capacity has gone from 517,071 seats in 2023 to the 969,263 expected for 2026, representing an increase of 87%. In that same interval, the number of operations rose from 1,582 to 3,321 flights, more than double.
If only 2025 is compared with 2026, the increase is 24.3% in the volume of flights and 16.3% in the seat supply. The greatest dynamism was concentrated in the Northeast, with the opening of the Madrid-Recife route, operational since 2025, and the Madrid-Fortaleza connection, which began operating in 2026.
Regarding the profile of the Spanish traveler, the average expenditure per trip to Brazil was 1,340.79 dollars, around 1,149 euros, 20% above the 1,117.84 dollars, about 958 euros, that they spend on average in their international trips. The average stay in the country was 9.4 nights.
As for the motivations for the trip, nature, ecotourism, and adventure account for 39% of preferences, followed by sun and beach, with 30%, and culture, with 27%. The strong pull of the Northeast reveals that the beach product is gaining prominence, also supported by the new direct air connections, in a context where sun and beach drive 60% of the international leisure trips of the Spanish.