A view of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Photo: VCG

As Brazil's visa-free travel policy for Chinese citizens in certain short-term travel categories was announced on Friday local time, travel interest in Brazil has reportedly surged. Some industry insiders also expect a further boost in the country's popularity among Chinese tourists during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.

Searches for flights on Chinese travel platform Qunar from Chinese cities to Brasilia — the capital of Brazil surged 84 percent within a single hour as of 9 am on Saturday. Searches for the tourist destination Rio de Janeiro increased 27 percent hour‑on‑hour as of 9 am on Saturday, with Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shenzhen ranking as the top departure cities. Searches for Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, jumped 22 percent hour‑on‑hour as of 9 am on Saturday, with Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xiamen and Shenzhen among the most active departure cities, according to data provided to the Global Times by Qunar on Saturday.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has announced that Brazil will grant exemptions from certain categories of short-term visas to Chinese citizens, in reciprocity for China's visa exemption policy for Brazilian nationals, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday. 

According to an official statement, the decision was made in the context of deepening cooperation between Brazil and China, with the aim of further facilitating people-to-people exchanges and promoting bilateral interaction. The Brazilian government said the specific implementation date of the visa-free policy will be announced at a later time.

Meanwhile, search for flights from Chinese cities to Brazilian destinations including Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasilia jumped more than fivefold week‑on‑week, according to Qunar.

In terms of departure cities, Chengdu - the capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Beijing and Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province showed the fastest growth for Sao Paulo searches, while outbound searches in Guangzhou in Guangdong Province and Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province all recorded hour-on-hour growth of over 200 percent to 400 percent as of 9 am on Saturday on Qunar.

Industry insiders expect Brazil's new visa-free policy to lower travel barriers and boost willingness to travel, further cementing the country's appeal as a top long-haul destination for Chinese tourists.

Yang Han, a researcher at Qunar's big data research institute, told the Global Times that Brazil — long celebrated for its vibrancy and diversity — has become one of the fastest-growing long-haul outbound destinations for Chinese travelers. He said that ahead of the upcoming nine-day Spring Festival holiday in 2026, Brazil ranked sixth among countries with the fastest growth in ticket bookings, with bookings up 1.7 times year-on-year compared with 2025.

This move marks a further upgrade in the visa reciprocity agreements between China and Brazil. Starting June 1, 2025, China's visa-free policy will benefit nationals of Brazil, with the trial period lasting until May 31, 2026, allowing them to enter visa-free for up to 30 days for business, tourism, visiting relatives and other activities, Xinhua reported.

Brazil has also been steadily enhancing its travel connectivity with China. After a six-year hiatus, Embratur, Brazil's official tourism promotion agency, returned to ITB China 2025, signing agreements with industry leaders like Trip.com Group, Dragon Trail and Tongcheng Travel at the travel trade fair. These partnerships leverage market intelligence and digital campaigns to boost Brazil's visibility among Chinese travelers, according to a china.org.cn report.

China is one of the fastest-growing sources of foreign tourists to Brazil. According to the Embratur, Brazil received approximately 76,000 Chinese tourists in 2024, a nearly 80 percent year-on-year increase, making Brazil the most popular destination for Chinese tourists in Central and South America. From January to November 2025, Brazil received nearly 100,000 Chinese tourists, a 34 percent year-on-year increase, according to Shanghai-based media outlet Shanghai Observer. 

Global Times