Brazil Expects $3 Billion Tourism Boom During World Cup

Tourists heading to the football World Cup in Brazil this June will spend more than $3 billion in the country, according to a government forecast on Wednesday.

An estimated 3.7 million tourists are expected to arrive in the country for the tournament, said the Ministry of Tourism, with about 1.9 million people set to actually attend World Cup matches, while another 1.8 million estimated visitors will arrive in Brazil to enjoy festivities linked to the World Cup.

Tourists heading to the football World Cup in Brazil this June will spend more than $3 billion in the country, according to a government forecast on Wednesday.

An estimated 3.7 million tourists are expected to arrive in the country for the tournament, said the Ministry of Tourism, with about 1.9 million people set to actually attend World Cup matches, while another 1.8 million estimated visitors will arrive in Brazil to enjoy festivities linked to the World Cup.

Tourism Minister Vinicius Lages also said that the total financial turnover for tourism during the World Cup could be more than double the anticipated figure, “if we consider the multiplier effect of these resources in the Brazilian economy”.

“The tourism spending being forecast based on the surveys conducted by Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism do not include the indirect and induced financial transactions resulting from these visitors,” Lages said.

[quote]“Tourists who come to the matches are the visitors who spend the most. This is an important audience, and we want to win them over during the World Cup,” he added.[/quote]

Lages highlighted the results of a FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 tourism survey, which revealed that more than 70 percent of the foreign tourists interviewed expressed a wish to return to Brazil this year.

The base for the projections was a survey conducted by Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism in partnership with the Economic Research Institute Foundation (FIPE).

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To date, Brazil has spent close to $11.7 billion preparing for World Cup, although the government says that the country could receive an economic boost of as much as $180 billion in the long-term.

There have been recent concerns that corruption has led to spiraling costs, but the government is keen to dismiss such suggestions with just one month to go to the tournament.