Beginning June 17, citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan will no longer need visas or e-visas to enter Brazil.
Planning a meeting or incentive trip to Brazil is about to get easier. The Brazilian Government announced this week that citizens of the US, Canada, Australia and Japan will soon no longer need a visa to enter Brazil. These four countries are considered strategically important to the development of tourism in Brazil, and the change is one of a series of measures designed to encourage travel to Brazil.
An e-visa platform launched last year was a first step in making it easier to enter the country. According to the Foreign Ministry, thanks to the e-visa platform, the number of visa applications from four targeted countries went up by about 35 percent.
“This decision of the Brazilian government proves…that tourism is being seen as a vector of economic and social growth of the entire nation,” said Marcelo Alvaro Antonio, Minister of Tourism. “This is one of the most important achievements of the Brazilian tourism industry in the last 15 years and we are confident that it will be extremely beneficial to the country.”
“The US was very receptive to the issuance of electronic visas. The World Tourism Organization says that when adopting an electronic visa, visa issuance increases by 25 percent, so we have exceeded that mark,” said Tete Bezerra, president of Embratur (Brazil’s Tourism Board).
With the strong US dollar and dozens of daily flights, waiving its visa requirements makes Brazil even more attractive. From the Amazon in the north to the wine country in the south, Brazil is filled with motivating destinations. Nature lovers are drawn to the exotic Pantanal and lush beaches, and Rio de Janeiro is high on many travelers’ bucket list. The country also has world-class hotels and options for meeting, conferences and incentives.
