Rio Olympics’ tourism achievements ‘exceed expectations’
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Rio 2016 spurred the arrival of 541,000 international tourists in Brazil from 1st July to 15th August, an increase of 157,000 people in relation to the same period of the previous year.
The visa waiver for visitors from the USA, Canada, Japan and Australia benefitted 74.7% of foreigners who came to Brazil for the Games.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism study, which evaluated the experiences of foreign and Brazilian visitors during the Olympic period, eight out of every 10 international tourists surveyed confirmed that the visa waiver would facilitate a possible return to Brazil. 56.5% of interviewed foreigners were in Brazil for the first time. For the president of peak tourism body, the Embratur Institute, Vinícius Lummertz, the measure is a huge motivating factor for the arrival of tourists and the partial survey confirms the positive visibility of the Brazil in the world.
“We were surprised by the very favourable data. The issues that arose before, such as the risks of holding the Games in Brazil, are behind us. This shows the satisfaction felt by international tourists with Brazil, as well as the feeling of happiness felt by Brazilians regarding the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. This positive evaluation will bring good results in the future, as much for leisure tourism as well as for business, new investments and the injection of resources into Brazil”, said Lummertz. He recalled that Embratur has supported the visa waiver for tourist destinations and countries with a strong Olympic tradition as part of their heritage since the very beginning.
The study revealed that the internet was the main source of information for 63.4% of foreign tourists for organising their trip. With the launch of Embratur’s Visit Brasil portal this week, Lummertz believes that the tool should attract and bring tourists in other countries closer. “The internet is currently the main facilitator for tourists and the site recently launched by Embratur will attract even more of these visitors who wish to get to know more about Brazil and its riches”, he emphasised.
The study presented the satisfaction of visitors regarding choices for tourism and leisure, security, infrastructure, transport and hospitality. It also revealed the most common profile of tourist: over 25 years, and of whom 64.4% were men. The best evaluated item was the hospitality of the Cariocas – the residents of Rio de Janeiro – who received a 98.7% approval rate from foreigners and 92% from Brazilians. Some 94.6% of those interviewed praised the airports, while 86.6% approved public transport. For 83% of foreigners, the trip to Rio de Janeiro met or superseded their expectations.
The review of hospitality highlighted that 37% of foreign tourists chose hotels and guesthouses, while 25% chose rental properties. In 11.7 days, foreigners spent more than US$103.70 per day, which represents R$335.66 at the current exchange rate. The number is very similar to the spending rate by Brazilians who, in 10.3 days on average, spent R$337.90.
Some 1,262 foreigners were interviewed between 6th-18th August in a survey carried out by the Foundation Institute of Economic Research (FIPE) and 4,150 Brazilians were interviewed between 3rd-16th of the same moth, in a survey developed by GMR Intelligence and Research (GMR Inteligência & Pesquisa). The results are partial and interviews will continue until the Paralympic Games. The final result will be shared at the end of this year.
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