HOW TO SELL RIO DE JANEIRO
RIO DE JANEIRO Exuberant
BY ANDY HOSKINS Long famed for its exuberant annual carnival, majestic waterfront setting and year-round party atmosphere, Rio de Janeiro’s star is set to shine even brighter. The city’s Maracana stadium will host
the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final and just two years on the 2016 Olympic Games will take place in the city. The capture of this heavyweight
sporting double bill proved the starting gun for major government investment and countrywide infrastructure development in the likes of hotel accommodation and transport. Around 300 new, mainly high-end
hotels are due to open across the country by 2014, many in the state of Rio de Janeiro and in the city itself. A new rail link, due for completion in
time for the Olympics, will slash the journey time from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro from a five-hour bus ride to just 90 minutes by rail. But until these sporting extravaganzas
come to town, visitors will have to ‘make do’ with Rio’s trademark attractions such as the Christ Redeemer statue, Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, vibrant nightlife and the annual week-long carnival held seven weeks before Easter Sunday.
General Information TIME ZONE: GMT -3hrs
VISA: UK citizens do not require an advance visa to visit Brazil
CLIMATE: Rio is at its hottest from December to March when rainfall is also heavier – typical of a tropical climate. Even in the cooler months of June to September the temperature still averages over 20°C.
GETTING THERE: British Airways and TAM both operate direct services from London Heathrow. TAP Portugal flies via its Lisbon hub; Iberia flies via Madrid; Lufthansa via Frankfurt; and Air France flies via Paris; or there are options with American Airlines, Continental and United via their respective US hubs.
CONTACT:
www.braziltour.com 32 July/August 2011 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com Although celebrated in villages, towns
and cities across the country, carnival in Rio is unrivalled. Its reputation is such that the city becomes flooded with visitors, accommodation fills quickly and rates reach their eye-watering peak during the week-long party. Booking flights and accommodation
well ahead is essential and purchasing tickets in advance for official carnival events in the Sambadrome is also recommended, though the actual tickets themselves are only issued in the week prior to the carnival to help avoid counterfeiting scams – they can normally be sent to hotels or picked up from a designated collection point in the city. The rising cost of accommodation, day-
to-day living and sightseeing – not just during carnival, but throughout the year – do not appear to be deterring the UK market, though some operators have expressed their concern as to what will happen in the run up to the World Cup and Olympics. Others appear more resigned to fluctuations. “Brazil comes in waves – it’s a boom and bust market,” says Lloyd Boutcher of Sunvil Traveller. Rio de Janeiro’s hotel product is impressive and there should be no
RIO DE JANEIRO What's New...
• Rio's historic Gloria Palace Hotel will reopen in 2012 after a comprehensive renovation funded by Eike Batista, Brazil's eighth richest person
• The Windsor Atlantica is one of the newest – and, at 39 storeys, tallest – hotels on Copacabana beach
• Currently in development is the Museum of Tomorrow. It has been designed by Santiago Calatrave, best-known for Valencia's City of Arts & Sciences
• The Porto Maravilha project is a government and privately- funded scheme to redevelop Rio's docklands, turning them into a hub for tourism and new business ventures
difficulty in booking clients into the right type for them. As well as the regular international chains and budget boutique options, popular choices featured by many UK operators include the famous beachfront Copacabana Palace; the Santa Teresa Hotel, set on a former coffee plantation in the city’s historic quarter; and the luxury Philippe Starck- designed Fasano Hotel. Agents can boost their commission by
selling city tours to those travelling independently, with a helicopter tour among the best ways of appreciating Rio’s very special setting. A typical day tour back on the ground will take in the Christ Redeemer statue, Sugarloaf Mountain and the Santa Teresa historic district, but tours by bicycle are also on offer, as well as trips to a football match at the giant Maracana stadium (currently closed for an overhaul before the World Cup), tours of the hillside favelas, trips to the theatre, visits to the Tijuca rainforest that surrounds the city, or even surf lessons on the city’s golden beaches.
Pictured above: Colourful carnival masks; The Christ Redeemer statue overlooks the city; The famous Copacabana Palace Hotel
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