Despite the postponement of samba school parades and the cancellation of street blocks, the city of Rio de Janeiro appears in first place among the most sought after destinations for the carnival holiday, according to online travel agencies consulted by CNN.
The expectation of the Rio Convention and Visitors Bureau (Rio CVB) is that the average occupancy of the hotel chain will be 85% between February 26th and March 1st.
Even with the forecast of revenue being 20% lower than in 2020, when the party moved R$ 4 billion in the carioca economy, the sector is optimistic.
According to the survey, hotels, bars and restaurants are investing in private events, following current health protocols, to attract the public, mostly domestic tourists.
“Given the health situation in the city, the City Hall’s decision to postpone the parades was correct. And we will have a good occupation and a full city on both dates, which is fundamental for the recovery of Rio”, points out the executive president of Rio CVB, Carlos Werneck.
The flow of foreigners has increased in recent months and should represent 10% to 15% of tourists at Carnival, according to the entity. Before the pandemic, they accounted for 30% of the total in the period.
“The holiday will attract many visitors, but it is a different consumption from the Carnival traditionally held in Rio. It will be a movement closer to a long holiday. It’s already great for the city, which needs to recover revenue from tourism, heavily impacted by the pandemic”, says Roberta Werner, executive director of Rio CVB.
With the transfer of the samba school parades to April, the Independent League of Samba Schools in Rio (Liesa) decided to promote an event in Cidade do Samba, on February 26 and 27, with the presentation of the 12 associations of the Special Group .
According to the president of Liesa, Jorge Perligeiro, more than half of the tickets have already been sold over the internet. He says five thousand people are expected each night. And, to enter Cidade do Samba, the public will have to present proof of vaccination against Covid-19.
Data from the P2D Travel platform, a startup focused on the sale of online travel, show that Rio de Janeiro appears alongside Salvador as the two most sought after destinations for Carnival.
According to online travel agencies Decolar and Kayak, Rio leads the ranking of the most sought-after national destinations for the period. The average price of the air ticket is R$ 969.
Source: CNN Brasil
