Rio hotels over 90% occupied for New Year's Eve

Hotel Union Hotéis Rio released on Wednesday (Dec. 28) the fourth balance related to New Year's Eve. Three days before the big event, the hotel network in Rio de Janeiro reported an average of 92.51 percent of rooms booked for the period between December 30 and January 1.

The figures indicate an increase in demand since the last balance sheet, released on Friday (23), announced an occupancy rate of 89.61 percent. In the next few days, almost 100 percent of all rooms are expected to be booked.

The demand for Ipanema and Leblon beaches stands above the average, with occupancy at 96.98 percent, followed by Flamengo and Botafogo (96.50%), Leme and Copacabana (95.84%), Barra da Tijuca and São Conrado (93.19%), and Downtown (82.76%).

Foreign tourists

In a statement released by Hotéis Rio, its president Alfredo Lopes pointed out the high number of foreign tourists, mainly North Americans and Europeans. "It was a pleasant surprise…25 percent of the visitors are foreigners. Last year, they were only 10 percent. This is very expressive, we are back to pre-pandemic levels," he said.

This New Year's Eve Rio will resume shows on the beaches, which were suspended for the last two years due to COVID-19. In Copacabana, there will be two stages where singers Iza, Alexandre Pires, Zeca Pagodinho, Martinália and Preta Gil, among other artists, will perform.

The pandemic significantly affected the occupancy of Rio de Janeiro's hotel network on New Year's Eve in 2020, when the average occupancy rate stood at 57 percent.

In 2021, although shows were still suspended, it was possible to watch the traditional fireworks display on different beaches. On that occasion, the city once again received a high number of tourists: four days before New Year's Eve, 92.1 percent of hotel rooms had been booked.