Brazil 2014: 180,000 tourists spent €111m in Natal

180,000 tourists spent 333.74m reais (approximately €111m) during the four matches of the group stage of the 2014 World Cup in Natal from 12 to 25/06/2014, the Brazilian government announced on 13/07/2014.

A large proportion of the tourists (49.4%) were aged 35 to 59 and came to Natal with their families (46.7%). 47.4% of them had monthly incomes of €2,330 to € 5,000. The most-represented home countries of foreign tourists were Mexico (11.9%), the U.S. (11.1%) and Japan (10.3%), while many Brazilian tourists came from Sao Paulo state (8.9%), Rio de Janeiro state (6.3%), Pernambuco (2.9%) and Paraiba (2.8%).

The tourists, who spent on average five days in Natal, were asked to rate various aspects of their stay from one to 10. The highest scores were for the region's natural attractions (8.93), hospitality (8.79) , food (8.4) and lodging (7.89). Transportation got the lowest rating, with an average of 6.69 out of 10, in part due to a bus strike. Prices in Natal were considered "normal" by 64.9% of tourists, and "expensive" by 27.9%.