Annual Carnival Expected to Bring Economic Salvation to Brazil

  27 February 2017    Read: 1034
Annual Carnival Expected to Bring Economic Salvation to Brazil
The annual carnival of Brazil, the country’s biggest national holiday, kicked off on Friday. The grandiose opening ceremony featured picturesque parades and traditional parades of samba schools.
The carnival is believed to be the most popular event of this time of the year among tourists. Each year it brings significant incomes for the Brazilian budget. According to expert estimates, the 2017 carnival is expected to generate nearly six billion Brazilian reals ($1.9 billion) in revenue for the country.

As usual, many Brazilian cities, including São Paulo and Salvador, provide numerous attractions and gaieties, but the biggest number of tourists, 1.1 million, is expected to flow to Rio. This is less than during the 2016 Summer Olympics (1.4 million), but more than during the New Year celebrations (856,000).

According to the National Confederation of Commerce and Tourism, the state of Rio de Janeiro and the state of São Paulo will generate up to 68.2 percent of the revenue. São Paulo is expected to receive some $500 million and Rio nearly $800 million.

As for the revenue structure, transportation, rental apartments and food services are expected to generate nearly 85 percent of the money. An estimated $1.1 billion will be spent by tourists in bars and restaurants across Brazil.

"The food service industry generates the biggest revenue during such large-scale tourist events at any time of the year," Alexandre Sampaio, president of the Business Council for Tourism and Hospitality, told Portal Brasil.

As a popular cruise liner port, the city of Rio is expected to draw some $105 million during this cruise season, with incomes reaching their peak during the carnival.

"This season, 350,000 tourists are expected to visit Rio by cruise liners. Preliminary estimates show that they will add at least $105 million to the city’s budget," Alexandre Gomes, operational manager at the Maya cruise terminal in Rio, told Sputnik Brasil.

"Last year, we broke the record on the number of cruise liners moored simultaneously at a terminal. There were 10 liners. Despite the fact, this year only seven ships are expected the number of passengers will be at least the same because this year we receive larger ships," he said.

/Sputnik/

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