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Not just beaches: Brazil craves more eco-tourism, and expects hosting COP30 climate talks in Amazon will spur its growth

  • Brazil wants to increase overall tourism – which accounts for 8 per cent of its GDP compared to some other nations’ 20 per cent – with a focus on eco-tourism
  • It aims to raise the number of flights and cruises to the country and believes hosting 2025 UN climate talks in rainforest city Belem will promote eco-tourism

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Brazil will host the COP30 climate talks in Belem in the Amazon rainforest (above) in 2025, hoping to boost the country’s eco-tourism credentials. Photo: Getty Images

Brazilian tourism officials are hoping that, by hosting United Nations climate talks next year in the Amazon rainforest city of Belém that will focus on environmental sustainability and ending deforestation to slow global warming, the country can change its image as a destination merely for beach holidays.

The summit is expected to boost Brazil’s attractiveness as an eco-tourism destination and increase travel to its Amazon rainforest and other biomes that offer the world’s greatest biodiversity, Tourism Minister Celso Sabino said.

Only 9 per cent of current visitors to Brazil are ecotourists, while almost two out of every three are there for sun and beach, he says.

“Tourism is essential for the sustainability and preservation of forests, bringing needed economic development for the local inhabitants,” he says.

Above: Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Most tourists visit Brazil for its sunshine and beaches. Photo: Getty Images
Above: Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Most tourists visit Brazil for its sunshine and beaches. Photo: Getty Images

Drawing more environmental and adventure travellers is part of the government’s plan to increase overall tourism in Brazil, which is low in comparison with other countries. Tourism contributes less than 8 per cent of Brazil’s GDP, compared to more than 20 per cent in Spain, Portugal and the Dominican Republic, the minister says.

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