Some of the main hotels in the city of Rio de Janeiro have all rooms reserved for the night of New Year’s Eve. According to a survey released today (27) by the Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau with its 50 member hotels, the average occupancy on December 31 is 100%. In the period accumulated between December 30, 2021 and January 2, 2022, the percentage is 75%, but it should still rise.
The Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau is a non-profit private foundation that works to promote tourism in the city of Rio de Janeiro and brings together various establishments, including bars, restaurants, shopping malls, event organizers, among others. Among the 50 associated hotels, most are located in the South Zone or in Barra da Tijuca. Among them are those of the Ibis, Mercure, Novotel, Hilton and Sofitel chains. Also part of traditional luxury establishments such as Copacabana Palace, in Copacabana, and Fasano, in Ipanema.
A broader survey of Rio de Janeiro hotels will be released on Wednesday (29) by the Rio de Janeiro City Accommodation Means Union (Rio Hotels). The organisation’s latest survey, dated November 17th, pointed to 86% of rooms booked on the night of the New Year’s Eve. Ipanema and Leblon, with 92.19%, led the ranking of the most sought after regions, closely followed by Leme and Copacabana, with 87.83%, and by Barra da Tijuca and São Conrado, with 86.25%. Then came Flamengo and Botafogo with 84.01% and Centro with 77.17%.
The numbers point to a completely different scenario from last year, when tourism suffered the effects of the covid-19 pandemic. With the traditional party of New Year’s Eve suspended in 2020, the occupancy of hotels in Rio de Janeiro recorded an average occupancy rate of 57% between December 31 and January 2nd. In Copacabana and Leme, the most affected by the fall, only 46% of rooms were booked.
This year, the shows are still suspended, but tourists will be able to follow the traditional fireworks display in ten points of the city. The attraction was confirmed just over two weeks ago. In Copacabana, the fireworks show will last 16 minutes.
Although experts preach caution with the end-of-the-year festivities, the city government claims to have a safe protocol at a time when the city registers an improvement in the epidemiological scenario. The public information panel on covid-19 records that 17 people are hospitalized and 80.3% of the population vaccinated with both doses or a single dose.
Last week, however, the Municipal Health Department confirmed the first imported case of Ômicron variant, whose uncertain effects have worried health authorities around the world. The city also faces a flu surge, which can be prevented with the same actions taken against covid-19.
Some measures for prevent agglomerations were defined by the city: buses and chartered vans cannot enter the city from midnight on December 30, the regular public transport fleet will not be reinforced and parking on the streets of Copacabana will be prohibited. The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) has been appealing to the population for the adoption of non-pharmacological measures, such as the use of masks, social distance and hand hygiene.
