Bruno Reis takes over Embratur at the moment of the strongest growth in Brazilian international tourism
Brazil has received new leadership for its national agency for the international promotion of tourism at a time when the country is recording the strongest results in the history of foreign guest arrivals. Bruno Reis has officially taken office as president of Embratur, the Brazilian agency responsible for promoting the country in international markets, following the departure of Marcelo Freixo. The appointment was confirmed on April 17, 2026, in an extraordinary edition of Brazil's Official Gazette, while Freixo's dismissal had previously been published on March 31. The change at the head of the agency comes after a year in which Brazil, according to official data, recorded 9,287,196 arrivals of foreign tourists, the highest number in the historical series. For Brazilian tourism policy, this is not only a staffing change, but a test of the continuity of the strategy that has returned the country to the center of global tourism competition.
Reis came to Embratur as a long-standing professional from the sector, not as a person from outside the system. According to the agency's data, he began his career precisely at Embratur in 2005 as an intern, and then, through various functions, worked as an assistant, analyst, market coordinator, manager for international markets and events, and director of marketing, international business and sustainability. Such a biography has additional symbolism in the Brazilian tourism public: the person coming to the head of the institution is someone who has passed through the operational and strategic levels of work in an agency that in recent years has increasingly relied on market analytics, international campaigns, cooperation with airlines and better coordination with states, cities and the private tourism sector.
Continuity instead of a turnaround
The new president of Embratur announced that his term would not be a sudden break with the previous direction, but a continuation of the policy that, according to official data, led to record results in 2025 and additional growth in the first quarter of 2026. In his first public appearances after the appointment, he emphasized dialogue with the tourism sector, cooperation with public administrations at all levels and the professionalization of Brazil's international promotion. This is an important message because in the previous period Embratur sought to change the perception of the country beyond the framework of classic tourism symbols, relying on the diversity of regions, cultural offerings, natural heritage, gastronomy, sustainability and business opportunities.
Marcelo Freixo, who led the agency for slightly more than three years, is leaving after a period in which Brazil positioned itself in official communication as one of the world's fastest-growing tourism destinations. In a farewell message to employees and partners, he pointed out that the work which, in his words, repositioned Brazil on the global tourism market must have continuity. In that sense, Reis's appointment does not represent only the choice of a new leader, but also a signal that the Brazilian government wants to maintain the same strategic direction: greater visibility in foreign markets, stronger use of data, the inclusion of the domestic tourism sector in promotional planning and the strengthening of international air connectivity.
Within the new structure, Bruno Villa also receives an important role, taking over the position of director of marketing, international business and sustainability, the function that Reis held before being appointed to the head of the agency. This preserved the logic of internal knowledge transfer. In its announcements, the Brazilian agency emphasized that key projects would not stop, especially those related to market intelligence, international fairs, destination promotion and cooperation with the tourism economy. For a country the size of Brazil, where the tourism offer stretches from the Amazon and the Pantanal to large urban centers, coastal destinations and cultural routes, such coordination has direct economic importance.
A record 9.3 million arrivals and a strong start to 2026
The most important figure accompanying this change is the result achieved in 2025. According to official data, Brazil received 9,287,196 foreign tourists, which is growth of 37.1 percent compared with 2024. The previous record amounted to around 6.7 million international visitors, so last year's jump was significantly larger than the usual annual shifts in a sector that, after the pandemic, had to rebuild air connectivity, passenger confidence and international promotion. The Brazilian government particularly emphasizes that this also exceeded the target value from the National Tourism Plan for 2024–2027, according to which 6.9 million international arrivals were planned for 2025.
The trend, according to the latest data from Embratur, continued in 2026 as well. In the first quarter, Brazil received 3.74 million international travelers, the best first quarter in the country's history. In March 2026 alone, 1,053,098 arrivals of foreign tourists were recorded, or 13 percent more than in March of the previous year. Such a start to the year further increases expectations from the agency's new leadership, because it is not being asked to recover from a crisis, but to manage growth. This is a different type of challenge: it is necessary to maintain the interest of foreign markets, but at the same time prevent growth from remaining concentrated only on the best-known destinations and strongest entry points.
According to data for the first three months of 2026, Rio de Janeiro was the federal state with the largest number of international arrivals, with 884,535 registered travelers. It was followed by São Paulo with 866,751 arrivals, Rio Grande do Sul with 764,598, Santa Catarina with 478,039 and Paraná with 395,574. These figures show that international tourism in Brazil is not tied only to one destination, but relies on a combination of large urban centers, coastal areas, border arrivals and regional tourism products. In the structure of source markets, Argentina remained by far the most important source of guests in the first quarter, with 1,648,213 arrivals, followed by Chile, the United States of America, Uruguay, Paraguay and Portugal.
Why Embratur is important for the Brazilian economy
Embratur has a specific role in the Brazilian tourism system: it is not a classic ministry, but an institution focused on international promotion, positioning the country's brand, opening business opportunities and encouraging arrivals of foreign tourists. In practice, this means that the agency must connect several different interests. On one side are destinations, hoteliers, agencies, airlines, event organizers and local authorities that want a larger inflow of guests. On the other side are international markets where Brazil competes with other major destinations in Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Africa. In such an environment, it is not enough to have attractive natural and cultural resources; they must be turned into clear, accessible and market-understandable tourism products.
That is why Reis's profile particularly emphasizes experience in marketing, international events and market management. As director of marketing, international business and sustainability, he participated in projects related to qualifying Brazil's appearances at international fairs, reconfiguring relations with priority markets and developing programs to attract new international flights. One of the more important instruments in this area was the International Tourism Acceleration Program, known as PATI, which focuses on air connectivity as one of the prerequisites for growth. For a distant market such as Brazil, the number of direct or better-connected flights often determines whether traveler interest will turn into an actual booking.
Tourism is also important for Brazil because its effects spread far beyond accommodation and transport. The arrival of foreign guests fills hotels, restaurants, cultural venues and local tours, but at the same time increases demand for guides, transport providers, event organizers, local food producers, creative industries and small entrepreneurs. Official Brazilian announcements state that international visitors injected around 7.9 billion US dollars into the country's economy in 2025. Precisely because of this, tourism promotion in Brazil is increasingly presented as part of a broader development policy, and not only as a communication campaign to attract travelers.
The National Tourism Plan and the broader political framework
The appointment of Bruno Reis is taking place within the National Tourism Plan for the period from 2024 to 2027. According to the Ministry of Tourism, that document should guide state measures and the use of public funds in the sector, with an emphasis on sustainable and inclusive development, data, reliable studies, good practices and alignment with the United Nations 2030 Agenda. The plan was prepared with the participation of the National Tourism Council and is connected with multi-year state planning. Its political message is clear: tourism is intended to be consolidated as one of the sectors that can create revenue, employment and regional development.
In practice, the success of that plan will be measured by much more concrete indicators: the number of arrivals, foreign-exchange revenues, new jobs, the development of tourism infrastructure, an increase in domestic travel, service quality and the distribution of tourism effects by region. Brazil has already exceeded part of its international goals earlier than planned, which gives the new administration a strong starting position, but also raises the bar of expectations. When a sector grows faster than the plan, questions arise about capacity, sustainability, safety, service quality and the ability of less developed destinations to catch part of that wave.
The political context is also not unimportant. Marcelo Freixo left the leading position of Embratur ahead of the electoral cycle, and the change of leadership is happening at a time when the Brazilian government strongly links tourism with the country's international image. After years in which Brazil was often viewed globally through political conflicts, environmental controversies and security challenges, tourism promotion has become part of a broader story about soft power. In that strategy, the country is not selling only beaches and carnival, but also biodiversity, music, gastronomy, indigenous cultures, modern cities, creativity and the possibility of business meetings.
Challenges: from air connectivity to sustainable growth
Despite the records, the new president of Embratur is taking office with a series of open challenges. The first is preserving growth in an unstable international environment. Geopolitical tensions, changes in fuel prices, currency fluctuations, security perceptions and competition from other destinations can quickly influence travel decisions. The second challenge is market diversification. Although neighboring countries, especially Argentina, are key for Brazilian tourism, long-term stability requires strengthening arrivals from Europe, North America and more distant markets, but without neglecting regional guests who, because of proximity and cultural ties, remain the foundation of a large part of traffic.
The third challenge concerns a more even distribution of benefits. Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo naturally attract a large share of international arrivals because they have strong infrastructure, global recognition and large airports. But Brazil has a much broader offer: the Amazon, northeastern coastal destinations, the historic cities of Minas Gerais, the natural attractions of the Pantanal, the wine and gastronomic routes of the south and diverse cultural spaces in the interior. If growth remains concentrated only on a few of the best-known points, the country will not fully use the development potential of international tourism.
The fourth challenge is sustainability. In international promotion, Brazil increasingly emphasizes nature, authenticity and sustainable tourism products, but that message must be accompanied by concrete practice. The growth of visits to sensitive areas requires clear rules, local inclusion, environmental protection and control of pressure on infrastructure. Otherwise, success in the number of arrivals can produce problems that weaken the destination in the long term. For Embratur, this means that promotion must not be separated from destination management and from cooperation with bodies responsible for the environment, transport, security and local development.
Reis's professional path as a message to the sector
Bruno Reis was already recognized in the Brazilian tourism sector before his appointment to the head of Embratur. The agency states that he was president of the Potiguar Tourism Promotion Company, or Emprotur, and vice-president of the National Forum of State Secretaries and Tourism Leaders. In earlier stages of his career, he also worked on promotional activities connected with the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, events that required global communication coordination from Brazil. Such experience can be useful in the current phase, when Embratur is expected to deliver both operational efficiency and political sensitivity.
His arrival at the top of the agency can also be read as a message of professionalization of tourism administration. The tourism sector often depends on political appointments, but in this case Brazilian official announcements emphasize career continuity, technical experience and knowledge of the international market. This does not mean that the mandate will be free of political expectations, especially in an election year, but it shows that the new president is expected to turn results into a stable institutional model. If Brazil wants to maintain growth after the record year of 2025, it will have to prove that success is not the result of a one-off post-pandemic jump, but of systematic policy.
For international partners, tour operators and airlines, predictability will be the most important factor. Reis's announcement of dialogue with the tourism economy, states and cities therefore has practical weight. Major tourism decisions are made months in advance: airlines plan capacities, agencies create packages, fairs contract appearances, and destinations prepare campaigns. If Embratur maintains continuity, Brazil can capitalize on its current visibility and turn it into more stable growth in revenue and employment.
Brazil wants to confirm its place among the world's most desirable destinations
Brazil's tourism rise in recent years has been built on several parallel processes: the recovery of international travel after the pandemic, better promotion in priority markets, stronger air connectivity, the great attractiveness of cultural events and growing interest in natural destinations. Carnival, Rio de Janeiro and beaches remain globally recognizable symbols, but the official strategy increasingly seeks to show the country as a more complex and more diverse destination. In that sense, the job of Embratur's new president will not only be to bring in more tourists, but to broaden the image of what Brazil offers and whom it addresses.
Success will depend on the agency's ability to turn numbers into long-term value. Record arrivals alone are not enough if they are not accompanied by higher spending, better regional distribution of benefits, higher-quality infrastructure and greater visitor satisfaction. Brazil currently has strong momentum, and Reis is taking over the institution at a time when the public is already accustomed to record announcements. Precisely because of this, his mandate begins under unusually high expectations: the tourism sector is not only looking for continued growth, but proof that Brazil can permanently position itself as one of the key global destinations of the new tourism cycle.
Sources:- Embratur – official announcement on the appointment of Bruno Reis as president of the agency and the departure of Marcelo Freixo (link)- Embratur – data on the best first quarter in the history of international tourist arrivals in Brazil in 2026 (link)- Secretariat of Social Communication, Government of Brazil – official data on the record 9.3 million international tourists in 2025 (link)- Ministry of Tourism of Brazil – National Tourism Plan 2024–2027 and the institutional framework for sector development (link)- Embratur – official profile of Bruno Reis from the period of his appointment as director of marketing, international business and sustainability (link)
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