TORONTO — Any roadblock to travel – lack of direct lift, say, or a weak exchange rate, or any number of other pain points – can send some travellers in the opposite direction, as this industry is all too aware.

After all, it’s a big world out there. With so many destinations on offer, and when a big goal of a getaway is to get away from stress, who can blame a client for choosing an easier (and easy on the wallet) option?

With that in mind, travel companies that sell Brazil are watching the calendar, ahead of the country’s April 10 eVisa implementation for Canadians, Americans and Australians.

The April 2025 timeline is just the latest in a series of delayed re-start dates more than five years after Brazil dropped the visa requirement in 2019 (even as Canada continued to require visas from most Brazilian travellers).

Each delay has given Canadian travellers heading to Brazil a welcome reprieve before the US$80.90 (about Cdn$116) eVisa fee kicks in.

How much can a visa requirement impact inbound travel? In one example, VisitBritain estimated in 2012 that visa requirements for visitors from China resulted in 60% fewer potential travellers from mainland China to the UK.

UNDERSERVED FROM CANADA

Brazil welcomed 6.65 million international travellers in 2024, a year over year increase of more than 12%, according to the latest stats from Brazil’s tourism board EMBRATUR.

Strategies for attracting more international visitors include Brazil’s National Tourism Plan 2024-2027, which aims to establish Brazil as South America’s premier tourist destination – and with goals for 8.1 million international visitors annually.

The country has also embarked on its International Tourism Acceleration Program, investing millions of dollars to attract new flights on national routes.

Brazil’s 6.65 million visitors in 2024 included close to 90,000 Canadians, as EMBRATUR recently shared with Travelweek.

EMBRATUR wasn’t able to comment on the frustration of visa requirements for those working to attract more inbound visitors.

“The issue is being addressed by the Brazilian government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in line with the country’s diplomatic relations” and all details are shared only through the government’s official channels, EMBRATUR told Travelweek.

EMBRATUR did share feedback on its strategies for attracting more Canadian visitors.

“We know there are challenges such as connectivity, distance,” said EMBRATUR. “Brazil is actively investing in the Canadian market through targeted campaigns emphasizing sustainability, gastronomy and cultural diversity.”

There are also trade missions. “Collaborative initiatives with tour operators, travel agents, and airlines are designed to showcase experiences that highlight diversity and local culture,” added EMBRATUR.

Direct flights between Canada and Brazil are available via Air Canada, operating nonstop routes to São Paulo several times weekly.

One tour operator told Travelweek that airlines changing their routes from Canada have made it more expensive and more difficult to fly to Brazil: “Good connections don’t exist like they used to.”

Brazil is underserved from Canada, they added, noting that distance and price (“our CA$ against the US$ is a killer”) make for formidable challenges. “It makes it hard to stay competitive on top of the other obstacles.”

“BRAZIL COMPETES WITH STRONG STORYTELLING FROM ITS NEIGHBOURS”

Given those hurdles from this market, it’s all the more impressive that Brazil continues to command a strong showing on travel bucket lists.

Blessed with incredible wonders of the world, from Iguazu Falls to the Amazon to the iconic Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain in must-experience Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is so compelling that a number of tour operators have ramped up their offerings – and in one notable case, debuted a brand new program.

Last week ACV announced its portfolio of new guided tour packages to Brazil, now available to book with departures from Toronto and Montreal to São Paulo (GRU). Connections from Air Canada’s network of more than 50 Canadian airports are also available.

ACV’s Brazil program offers four tours and 13 packages with private transportation in destinations including Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador, Foz do Iguaçu and Porto de Galinhas.

Goway Travel is also bullish on Brazil. Last month Goway announced new and improved offerings to Brazil, with the introduction of 20 brand new packages.

Goway’s VP, The Americas, Sean Hebert, told Travelweek that there’s a lot of growth potential for the destination.

“While Brazil has been one of Goway’s fastest growing destinations in Latin America since the pandemic, it still lags behind the strong passenger numbers we’ve seen for Peru, the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, Chile and Argentina,” he said.

“With respect to our Canadian travellers, Brazil is woefully underserved for a destination with such strong flight connectivity and with tourism infrastructure that’s mature enough to accommodate a range of wallet sizes,” he added.

Hebert said part of the challenge has been getting the word out: “Brazil competes with the strong storytelling that its neighbours do each and every year to motivate travellers to experience their destinations first-hand, and for that reason, it’s been great to see their government investing heavily in more marketing in recent years.”

Goway’s best-selling Brazil itineraries tend to spend 10 to 14 days in destination, he added, with time in two or three distinct regions: “A heart-pounding adventure in the Pantanal and the Amazon; a relaxing beachfront vacation in Rio or Paraty; and a visit to the iconic Iguazu Falls.”

Hebert added that the Brazilian government’s visa-free travel policy “has been a key driver of the destination’s recent demand at Goway, so the return of visa restrictions is certainly disappointing. Our hope is that we can fend off falling demand by helping our travellers navigate that visa process, as we already do in a number of popular destinations that require Canadians to secure a visa.”

For tailor-made tours specialist Gateways International, Brazil is the fourth top-selling South American destination, after Chile, Peru and Argentina.

Asked if there’s a typical Canadian traveller to Brazil, Talia May, Director, Marketing & Operations for Gateways International, said: “Passengers to Brazil used to be older couples or groups of couples travelling together. Now we see a younger demographic, families with teenage children travelling.”

Gateways International’s bestselling Brazil itineraries include getaways combining Rio and Iguazu Falls, as well add-on components like Salvador and Manaus cruises.

May noted that while the upcoming eVisa requirement “adds another layer of difficulty,” many other destinations are implementing fee-based changes, such as the UK’s ETA, and EU’s ETIAS (delayed but still on its way). “We are told the Brazilian visa will not be as difficult to obtain as it once was, done exclusively on https://brazil.vfsevisa.com/ for a cost of US$80.90 per passenger.”

This article appeared in the Jan. 30, 2025 edition of Travelweek; click here. 

Watch for more coverage about EMBRATUR and its recommended itineraries to Brazil (including lesser-known gems) in tomorrow’s edition of Travelweek Daily.