More than 96% of hotel rooms in Rio de Janeiro are already occupied for the night New Year’s Eve (December 31), according to the latest survey by the Accommodation Union of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro – HotéisRio. The entity’s president, Alfredo Lopes, said that reserves remain strong and should reach 100% by this Tuesday (31) in Copacabana and other neighborhoods in the South Zone.
Considering a longer period – from December 29th to January 1st – occupancy is around 85%, but is close to 88% in the neighborhoods of Copacabana and Leme, which host the most traditional New Year’s Eve party in Brazil.
Rates in other waterfront neighborhoods are also significant. The region of São Conrado, Barra da Tijuca and Recreio dos Bandeirantes has occupancy of almost 87% and in the neighborhoods of Ipanema and Leblon, more than 84% of the rooms are occupied.
Currently, Rio’s hotel network has around 50 thousand rooms, and despite the city being a recognized tourist destination, Lopes defends constant investments and the holding of major events throughout the year, such as the Rock in Rio and the concert by singer Madonna, which filled Copacabana beach last year.
He argues that “tourism heats up the economy and generates a huge number of jobs. These people also consume with their salaries and revenue increases and then the municipality can invest more in areas such as health and education. There are countries that essentially live off tourism” , highlights.
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The demand for accommodation in the interior of the state of Rio is also high and has already surpassed that of last year, with 91.30% of rooms occupied. In two cities, there are practically no vacancies left: Arraial do Cabo, in the Lagos Region, and Miguel Pereira, which is located between the Mountain Region and Vale do Café.
Arraial do Cabo has stood out for many years thanks to its beautiful coastline, but Miguel Pereira has recently become a major tourist destination, after the inauguration of several projects, public and private, which attract more and more visitors.
Occupancy also exceeds 90% in six other cities: Cabo Frio, Rio das Ostras and Armação dos Búzios, in the Lagos Region, Angra dos Reis and Paraty, on Costa Verde and Itatiaia, in the South Region. The data are from the Brazilian Association of the Rio de Janeiro Hotel Industry.
