Rio de Janeiro tourism closed out 2025 and opened 2026 with an unusual run of international validation. Google Flights data showed searches for Brazil up 35.3% for the year end holiday window, and Embratur confirmed Rio as the country’s most in demand destination for the period (Embratur, October 2025). National Geographic placed the city on its Best of the World 2026 list a few weeks later (National Geographic, cited by Brasilturis, November 2025). By February, a separate global survey ranked Rio third among the world’s most searched destinations for 2026 travel (eDreams ODIGEO, cited by ABIH-RJ, February 2026). Three different measures, three different moments in the season, pointing to the same conclusion: demand into Rio is broadening.
Rio de Janeiro Tourism: A Record Year End Season
Flight searches to Brazil for the December 24, 2025 to January 4, 2026 window rose 35.3% year over year, according to Google Flights data cited by Travel + Leisure and confirmed by Embratur (Embratur, October 2025). Overall international air ticket issuance to Brazil was already up 27% through September 30, 2025, 189,107 tickets against 148,957 over the same period in 2024 (Embratur, October 2025). Reservations specifically into Rio for the year end window grew 26% (Embratur, October 2025).
Argentina remained the largest source market with 26.5% of reservations, followed by the United States at 11.9% and Portugal at 9.9% (Embratur, October 2025). The fastest growth came from further afield: Portugal was up 68.1% and Italy 64.1% over the same period the year before (Embratur, October 2025).
International flight capacity into Rio is expanding alongside demand. The city logged 13,158 international flights and 2.94 million seats across all of 2024; by the end of August 2025 alone it had already recorded 5,833 flights and 1.28 million seats (Embratur, October 2025). “The recognition shows Brazil is thriving in global tourism, with capacity to attract increasingly more visitors seeking authentic, sustainable and memorable destinations,” said Embratur president Marcelo Freixo (Embratur, October 2025).
A Place on National Geographic’s List
In November 2025, National Geographic named Rio to its Best of the World 2026 list, one of twenty five destinations chosen globally (National Geographic, cited by Brasilturis, November 2025). The magazine described Rio as a South American megacity able to combine nature, culture and history within the same territory, pointing to the reopening of the National Museum and the National Museum of Fine Arts, alongside a rising restaurant scene across the city’s neighborhoods (Brasilturis, November 2025).
“Having a Brazilian destination on National Geographic’s list demonstrates our efforts strengthening tourism destinations and infrastructure investment,” said Tourism Minister Celso Sabino (Brasilturis, November 2025). Separate Booking.com data covering August to October 2025 showed domestic searches for Rio up 12% and international inquiries up 27% for the same December 2025 to January 2026 window (Brasilturis, citing Booking.com and Embratur, November 2025).
Carnival Confirmed the Trend
A February 2026 study by eDreams ODIGEO, based on bookings for travel from January 1, 2026 onward, ranked Rio third among the world’s most searched destinations for the year, behind only Bangkok and Paris (ABIH-RJ, citing eDreams ODIGEO, February 2026). Search demand for Rio rose 7% during the Carnival period specifically (ABIH-RJ, February 2026). Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism projected R$18.6 billion in Carnival related revenue for February 2026 alone, 10% above February 2025 and the strongest February on record since 2011 (ABIH-RJ, February 2026). “These projected R$18.6 billion demonstrate Carnival’s strength as a tourism driver,” said Tourism Minister Gustavo Feliciano (ABIH-RJ, February 2026).
What It Means for Your Programs
Taken together, the three studies point to a city whose demand is no longer concentrated in a single season or a single source market. Argentina still anchors volume, but Portugal and Italy are growing from a much smaller base at a faster rate, worth watching for agencies building long haul programs.
Capacity is expanding alongside demand: Rio logged nearly as many international flights in the first eight months of 2025 as in all of 2024, though lead times and ground services still matter more in a growth year than a flat one. The recognition is also no longer coming from a single source. A government tourism board, an international travel publication and a private booking platform independently reached a similar conclusion within the same five month window.
Sources: Embratur (Brazilian Tourist Board), official release, October 2025, citing Google Flights data via Travel + Leisure; Brasilturis, November 2025, citing National Geographic’s Best of the World 2026 list and Booking.com data; ABIH-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Hotel Industry Association), February 2026, citing eDreams ODIGEO and Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism.
For agencies turning Rio de Janeiro tourism demand into programs, our Rio de Janeiro briefing covers ground services in the city, and you can request a proposal for your dates. Official releases are published by Embratur.
