Religious Tourism in Brazil

As tourism takes steps to reopen, Minister of Tourism Gilson Machado mentions that religious travels in Brazil have huge potential for their cultural aspect and for their socioeconomic impact as a source of employment and income.

Many religious itineraries are already established in different states of Brazil, such as Estrada Real, the Route of Faith; the Path of the Saint Martyrs; the Path of the Seven Missions, and the churches of Ouro Preto (both sites World Heritage by UNESCO).

In total, Brazil hosts more than 200 religious events like the annual procession Círio de Nazaré, followed by 2 million people and the largest of its kind in the world. Classed as World Intangible Heritage by UNESCO, the march is held since 1793 in honor of Our Lady of Nazareth.

In 2018, around 12 million people joined the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Aparecida - a Catholic church second in size only to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Near the city of São Paulo, there is also the astounding Zu Lai Buddhist Temple, the largest in Latin America.