Brazil 2014: 355,000 tourists spent €177m in Belo Horizonte

355,00 tourists visited Belo Horizonte (the capital of the state Minas Gerais) during the 2014 World Cup, the Brazilian government said on 15/07/2014. Belo Horizonte hosted six of the 64 games of the tournament (four group stage fixtures, one round of 16 and one semi-final).

The tourists spent 454m reais (€177m) in the local economy and on average 1,270 reais (€415) per person. This is 35% more than was spent during the same period in 2013. The financial impact of the World Cup spending on the city, indirect benefits included, was approximately 1.6bn reais (approximately €523.6m) in the commerce and service sectors, the local government of Belo Horizonte said.

The tourists stayed for an average of 6.7 days, or 37% more than during the same period in June 2013. 32% of tourists also visited other cities in Minas Gerais such as Ouro Preto, Mariana, Tiradentes and Brumadinho.

75% average occupancy rate for hotels, 95% the night before the Brazil-Germany semi-final

• 46% of tourists stayed in hotels or bed and breakfasts.
  • 20% of them stayed in youth hostels, compared to 1.3% in Belo…