Record number of foreign tourists visit Brazil in 2017

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Over 6.5 million foreign tourists visited Brazil in 2017, up 42,000 from 2016 and setting a new record, the country's Tourism Ministry announced Monday.

Some 62.4 percent of these foreign tourists, about 4.1 million, were from South American countries.

Argentina was the top source of Brazil's foreign visitors, followed by the United States, the ministry said.

In 2017, some 2.6 million Argentines visited Brazil, up 14.3 percent from 2016, and 475,200 U.S. tourists visited Brazil.

Chile ranked third, with 342,100 visitors.

Citizens of Argentina and Chile do not need any visas to enter Brazil, but U.S. citizens do.

In order to attract more U.S. tourists, the Brazilian government expanded a new e-visa system to include the United States earlier this year, dramatically reducing the time needed for U.S. passport holders to get a Brazilian visa. Enditem