The revenue of the Brazilian tourism industry grew to 136.7 billion reais (about US$32.8 billion) in the first seven months of this year, 1.1 percent more than in the corresponding period last year, Xinhua reports.

The Chinese government-run news agency, citing figures given by the Brazilian National Confederation of Trade, Services and Tourism, says the industry collected revenue of 20.4 billion reais in July, 1.5 percent more than a year earlier.

The report says about 80 percent of tourism revenue in July was collected by the restaurant and passenger transport industries.

The tourism industry employed almost 3 million people in Brazil in July, or 7.6 percent of Brazilians in work, and 25,049 of those employed in tourism were doing jobs created that very month, Xinhua says.