Even as the country looks forward to hosting both the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, tourism brought 5.4 million visitors in 2011, and with those visitors an additional $6.775 billion added to the economy.

According to a 2011 study by the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) which looked at attractiveness of developing commerce in the tourism industry, Brazil managed to rank 52nd on the international list, and third regionally after Mexico, and Costa Rica.

Despite recent success, the impending international events in 2014 and 2016 will place a strain on the already worrisome infrastructure of the country, especially the ground transport infrastructure. Additionally, mudslides are annually cause calamity in Brazil, and were responsible for 903 deaths in 2011 alone; however, those mud slides occurred primarily in January, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup is slated to begin in June of 2014.

As Latin America’s fastest growing tourist destination, Brazil is gaining on other popular destinations such as Argentina 5.2 million visitors per year, Dominican Republic 4.1 million per year, and Chile which comes in 5th at 2,7 million per year according to 2010 figures. None of these countries hold a candle to the regional tourism powerhouse of Mexico, which sees roughly five times the closest competing nation with roughly 22,3 million visitors in 2010.