LGBT tourism in Brazil is a form of niche tourism marketed to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people who come to Brazil. The city of Rio de Janeiro was elected the best LGBT destination of the world, according to the U.S. Logo channel, owned by Viacom's MTV Networks. [1] Rio de Janeiro also was elected the most sexy city of the world to LGBT people, according to the U.S. Logo channel and TripOutGayTravel. [2] In 2014, Brazil and the United States were the two countries more wanted by international LGBT tourists, according to the World Travel Market. [3]
About 26% of visitors to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis, Salvador and Fortaleza are LGBT people. Brazil has more than 6,000 gay-friendly hotels and hostels registered in travel agencies and mainly specialized in the gay-oriented sites, which are the major source of information for travelers. The establishments receives a sticker with a rainbow, a global symbol of the gay movement. [4]
During the carnival of Rio de Janeiro in 2014, 30.75% of tourism revenue was from LGBT people.[ citation needed ] The total was R$1.5 billion, and 461 million of gays and lesbians[ citation needed ]. The majority of tourists in Brazil were from the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, and from other countries were the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. [5]
The Brazilian LGBT prides move millions in cash every year. Only the São Paulo Gay Pride Parade, with 3.5 million participants, attracts 400,000 LGBT tourists, that will yield to the coffers of the state, about $70 million euros or $160 million reais. [6] [7]
According to Out Now Consulting, in 2010, LGBT consumers residing in Argentina have spent a total of US$4 billion in leisure travel. In Mexico, LGBT consumers spent US$8 billion in leisure travel, while LGBT Brazilians spend more than US$20 billion in leisure travel, the largest in Latin America. The majority of foreign LGBT tourists in Brazil are U.S. citizens, British, Germans, French, and Dutch. [8] According to the LGBT app Grindr, the city of Rio de Janeiro has the best gay beach of the world, and the city of São Paulo has the best gay parade of the world. [9]
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro is the second-most-populous city in Brazil and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas. Notably, it is listed by the GaWC as a beta global city and part of Rio de Janeiro is designated as a World Heritage Site.
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil. It has the second largest economy of Brazil, with the largest being that of the state of São Paulo. The state, which has 8.2% of the Brazilian population, is responsible for 9.2% of the Brazilian GDP.
São Paulo is one of the 26 states of the Federative Republic of Brazil and is named after Saint Paul of Tarsus. A major industrial complex, the state has 21.9% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 33.9% of Brazil's GDP. São Paulo also has the second-highest Human Development Index (HDI) and GDP per capita, the fourth-lowest infant mortality rate, the third-highest life expectancy, and the third-lowest rate of illiteracy among the federative units of Brazil. São Paulo alone is wealthier than Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia combined. São Paulo is also the world's twenty-eighth-most populous sub-national entity and the most populous sub-national entity in the Americas.
São Paulo is the most populous city in Brazil and the capital of the state of São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as an alpha global city, São Paulo is the most populous city outside of Asia and the world's 4th largest city proper by population. Additionally, São Paulo is the largest Portuguese-speaking city in the world. It exerts strong international influences in commerce, finance, arts and entertainment. The city's name honors the Apostle, Saint Paul of Tarsus. The city's metropolitan area, the Greater São Paulo, ranks as the most populous in Brazil and the 12th most populous on Earth. The process of conurbation between the metropolitan areas around the Greater São Paulo created the São Paulo Macrometropolis, a megalopolis with more than 30 million inhabitants, one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world.
Brazil is geopolitically divided into five regions, by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, which are formed by the federative units of Brazil. Although officially recognized, the division is merely academic, considering geographic, social and economic factors, among others, and has no political effects other than orientating Federal-level government programs. Under the state level, they are further divided into intermediate regions and even further into immediate regions.
The Southeast Region of Brazil is composed of the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. It is the richest region of the country, responsible for approximately 60% of the Brazilian GDP, as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais are the three richest states of Brazil, the top three Brazilian states in terms of GDP. The Southeast of Brazil also has the highest GDP per capita among all Brazilian regions.
São Paulo LGBTQ Pride Parade is an annual gay pride parade that has taken place in Avenida Paulista, in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, since 1997. It is South America's largest Pride parade, and is listed by Guinness World Records as the biggest pride parade in the world starting in 2006 with 2.5 million people. They broke the Guinness record in 2009 with four million attendees. They have kept the title from 2006 to at least 2016. They had five million attendants in 2017. As of 2019 it has three to five million attendants each year. In 2019, it was also the second larger event of the city of São Paulo in terms of total revenue and the first in terms of daily revenue. In 2010, the city hall of São Paulo invested 1 million reais in the parade. According to the LGBT app Grindr, the gay parade of the city was elected the best in the world.
LGBT tourism is a form of tourism marketed to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. People might be open about their sexual orientation and gender identity at times, but less so in areas known for violence against LGBT people.
Human rights in Brazil include the right to life and freedom of speech; and condemnation of slavery and torture. The nation ratified the American Convention on Human Rights. The 2017 Freedom in the World report by Freedom House gives Brazil a score of "2" for both political rights and civil liberties; "1" represents the most free, and "7", the least.
Ubatuba is a Brazilian municipality, located on the southeast coast, in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte. The population is 92,819 in an area of 723.88 km², of which 83% is located in the Serra do Mar State Park.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Brazil rank among the highest in the world. Same-sex couples in Brazil have enjoyed the same rights guaranteed to heterosexual ones since 16 May 2013, including marriage and adoption. On June 13, 2019, the Brazilian Supreme Court ruled that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is a crime akin to racism.
Tourism is a growing sector and key to the economy of several regions of Brazil. The country had 6.589 million visitors in 2018, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the second main destination in South America after Argentina and third in Latin America after Mexico and Argentina. Revenues from international tourists reached US$5.8 billion in 2015, continuing a recovery trend from the 2008–2009 economic crisis.
São Paulo is one of the largest cities in the world economically, and is expected to be the 6th largest in 2025. According to data of Fecomercio/SP, its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017 was R$699.28 billion.
Same-sex adoption in Brazil is legal according to the Superior Court of Justice of Brazil, as stated in a court decision on April 27, 2010. The change was a milestone in the country's LGBT history.
Farme de Amoedo Street is an important LGBT street in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that starts at the Vieira Souto Avenue and ends at Alberto de Campos Street.
LGBT people in Brazil represent an estimated 8.35% of the Brazilian population, or approximately 20,000,000 people.
This article is intended to give an overview of the history of LGBT rights in Brazil.
Espírito Santo is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attractions.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the Brazilian state of São Paulo are liberal. Same-sex marriage is legally performed in the state, as in Brazil as a whole.
Tourism in the city of São Paulo stands out more for its business tourism than recreational tourism. However, cultural tourism is also important for the city, especially due to the several international events that take place in the region, such as the Art Biennial, the International Film Festival and the different performances with foreign celebrities that normally only happen on the Rio de Janeiro-São Paulo axis. The city has an average of one event every six minutes and between 410 and 550 hotels, offering visitors a total of between 42,000 and 50,000 rooms.