Rio Carnival to welcome one million tourists
About 5 million revelers will flock to the city's 505 street blocos and 650 parades. 
About a million visitors are expected in Rio de Janeiro for the Carnival holiday (February 6-9), injecting about $740 million into the local economy, local Tourist Secretary Antonio Pedro Figueira de Mello said during the presentation of the operational plan for the 2016 street carnival on Friday (Jan. 15).
On February 7 (Sunday), 11 ships are expected to arrive at the port of Rio, a record number for the period.
According to the secretary, about 5 million revelers will flock to the city's 505 street blocos and 650 parades. “These are Olympic-scale figures that show the power of a Carnival celebration that injects money into the economy at such a hard moment for Brazil.”
The Rio de Janeiro Hotel Association expects 85% of the rooms will be booked, a very close figure to that of 2015 (84%). This year, there will be 15,000 more beds available than last year.
The local health department will set up two medical units in Copacabana, one in Ipanema and two in the city center, with health care workers and beds for the revelers' basic first-aid needs. Last year, 765 people received care from these units.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Rio Carnival to welcome one million tourists
