The Boom in Brazilians Traveling to the United States

Author(s)

David Riker, Jessica Vila-Goulding

In this article, we examine the economic factors driving the recent boom in Brazilians traveling to the United States. First, we present several measures of the increase in Brazilian travelers and the consequent increase in U.S. services exports to Brazil. Then, we review the economics literature to identify factors that generally affect international tourism demand, including relative prices and income levels. Finally, we present statistical evidence and popular press accounts indicating the relevance and contribution of each of these factors to the recent boom in international travel from Brazil.