Brazil has emerged as the fastest-growing international tourist destination in the world, closing 2025 with a record 9.3 million visitors, a 37.1 percent increase from the previous year’s 6.7 million, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). The surge has been driven by new air routes, particularly from Europe, and renewed international interest in the country’s cultural, natural, and gastronomic attractions.

Tourism already contributes 8 percent of Brazil’s GDP, and international travellers brought in around €7.3 billion last year, a significant boost to the economy as the country continues to recover and reposition itself on the global stage.

Europe has played a central role in this growth. Visitors from France, Portugal, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain totalled 1.8 million, a 20 percent rise from 2024. Spain alone accounted for 160,000 tourists, a 92 percent increase over three years, reflecting both growing interest in Brazil and improved air connectivity.

A key factor has been the introduction of new direct flights from Europe. In 2025, Iberia launched routes linking Madrid with Fortaleza in Ceará and Recife in Pernambuco, providing direct access to Brazil’s northeast, a region celebrated for its beaches, culture, and hospitality. These routes complement existing flights from Madrid and Barcelona to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Campinas, reinforcing Lisbon and Porto as major European hubs for Brazilian travel.

São Paulo remains the country’s main entry point, hosting more than 2.7 million international visitors, followed by Rio de Janeiro with nearly 2.2 million and Rio Grande do Sul with 1.5 million.

Marcelo Freixo, president of the Brazilian tourism promotion agency Embratur, said the record numbers reflect years of coordinated efforts in international promotion, infrastructure improvements, and expanded air connections. He highlighted the importance of extending direct access to the northeast, noting that it allows visitors to experience Brazil’s authentic and diverse offerings.

Freixo also linked the tourism rebound to Brazil’s regained international standing under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “Brazil is now a respected country,” he said. “You don’t visit a country that is not respected. People have no interest in visiting a country that is not respected.”

Despite the record growth, security remains a key concern for international travellers. Freixo said Brazil has made notable progress in safety and emphasized that tourism itself contributes to safer cities. According to Embratur, 95 percent of visitors expressed interest in returning. To encourage longer stays and broader exploration, initiatives such as the Brazil Air Pass allow travellers to visit up to eight domestic destinations with a single fare.

Freixo also highlighted the warmth and hospitality of Brazilians as a unique selling point. “Our main export product is not coffee, it’s joy — and we have plenty of that,” he said.

With stronger connectivity, rising international respect, and a wide array of attractions, Brazil is positioning itself as a leading global tourist destination, with Europe, particularly Spain, emerging as a key partner in this new phase.

In recent years, the Chettinad area has seen an uptick in tourism, as new hotels have opened in restored mansions and the nearest airport expanded. Kanadukathan, a village roughly a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Tiruchirappalli airport, offers visitors a glimpse of rural South India with cows grazing along dusty lanes, temple pools for ritual bathing, and artisan workshops for weaving and woodcarving. What surprises many, even seasoned travellers, is the sheer scale of the local architecture: streets lined with colossal historic mansions.

The village’s mansions, organised in neat grids, feature Italianate balustrades, castle-like turrets, marble columns, Burmese teak doors, and Hindu statuary. Kanadukathan is just one of 73 villages in Chettinad, which is home to an estimated 10,000 such residences. Many are abandoned or in disrepair, yet each tells a story of a mercantile community’s wealth, refined tastes, and eventual decline.

Tourism in the region began growing after the opening of well-serviced hotels, which adapted historic mansions for modern visitors. The Bangala, opened in 1999 by Meenakshi Meyyappan, was the first such property, converted from a private family home into accommodation. More recent openings, like THE Lotus Palace run by THE Park Hotels group, showcase lavish restorations with vibrant facades, Renaissance arches, and ornate statues. Courtyards once used for family rituals and business meetings have been transformed into dining areas, pools, and guest spaces, maintaining the mansions’ ceremonial grandeur.

The Chettiars, a mercantile community dating back to the 13th century, originally built these homes. After relocating inland following a tsunami, they thrived as moneylenders and traders, establishing trade links across Burma, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Indochina. Their wealth was displayed in imported marble, glass mirrors, and cast-iron columns, often combined with traditional Hindu motifs, including statues of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity. Many homes even feature figures reflecting British colonial influence.

The community’s fortunes waned in the 20th century due to World War II, Indian independence, and domestic taxation. Subsequent generations redirected wealth into education and professional careers, leaving the mansions neglected. Many architectural elements—teak doors, carved columns, and painted safes—have been salvaged and sold in local antique shops, highlighting the fragility of this heritage.

Tourism now offers a way to revive Chettinad’s cultural legacy. Visitors to THE Lotus Palace can explore nearby artisan workshops, including the Venkatramani Thari Chettinad handloom and Athangudi tile factory, as well as shops selling Chettinad cotton sarees. Guests can also experience traditional feasts, such as the Raja Virundhu meal, served on banana leaves with dozens of meticulously prepared dishes, or high tea in the palace’s Burmese-themed Red Room.

As tourism grows, these restored mansions provide more than luxury stays—they offer a window into Chettinad’s rich mercantile history, its architectural extravagance, and culinary traditions. For travellers, the area combines historic splendour, cultural immersion, and rural charm, ensuring the legacy of the Chettiars remains alive for generations to come.