Brazil enjoyed a “spectacular” boost in tourism revenue during the recent Confederations Cup, which bodes well for the World Cup being held in the country next year.
The president of Brazilian tourist board Embratur, Flávio Dino, said the financial returns made by the destination during the tournament exceeded expectations.
Embratur recorded $329 million in additional spending, including income from hotels, food away from home, and other related expenditure.
Spending by tourists – Brazilians and foreigners – was estimated by the tourism board at $145 million.
“A study by Embratur showed tourism had a far greater impact than anticipated,” Dino told local radio show Brasil em Pauta.
From the point of view of promoting international tourism in Brazil, this is a spectacular gain
There were 16 games during the two weeks of the Confederations Cup in June, with the hosts eventually crowned champions.
“This is important because a return is immediate and goes straight into the pocket of the entrepreneur in the long chain associated to tourism,” said the president of Embratur, during the interview.
“The long-term return is the main picture, since the name and attributes of Brazil are reported worldwide during the period of mega-events.”
Dino added: “From the point of view of promoting international tourism in Brazil, this is a spectacular gain, which would be achieved only with a very massive investment of resources in television advertising in those markets.”
In a previous interview while the tournament was still going on, Dino estimated the financial return would be much higherduring the 2014 World Cup.
“The Confederations Cup is an event that mobilises the domestic audience, as a test for the FIFA World Cup 2014, when we’ll really receive a massive number of tourists,” he said.
However, it was not all plain sailing for Brazil during the Confederations Cup, with coverage of the events marred by long running street protests against corruption, rising prices and the perceived miss allocation of oil revenues.
Speaking last Wednesday, FIFA president Sepp Blatter warned that widespread protests took place during the World Cup. “We might have to question whether we made the wrong decision awarding the hosting rights to Brazil,” he said.
FIFA and the Brazilian Government have previously clashed over issues ranging from late preparations for the games to the high price of tickets.
There are also widespread concerns that hotel prices will soar during the next year’s tournament.