An authorized ticket reseller in China revealed that the Zika outbreak in Brazil has not "dampened Chinese enthusiasm for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in the South American country," according to Huang Jingjing of GLOBAL TIMES.
Chinese tour operator Caissa Touristic said that since tickets for the Rio Games went on sale in China on Jan. 19, nearly 1,000 tickets "have been booked, and tickets for events where Chinese athletes are favored sell best, such as gymnastics, diving, table tennis and badminton."
Caissa said, "Although the Chinese economy has slowed down, preparation for the Rio Games has drawn criticism, and the Zika virus has spread in Brazil, Chinese continue to show great interest in going to the Games. ... Inquiries about tickets and packages are increasing." In an effort to attract Chinese spectators, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Friday "opened an account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website."
In a 96-second video, "she invited Chinese to visit Brazil" during the Olympic Games, (Aug. 5-21) and Paralympic Games (Sep. 7-18)" (GLOBAL TIMES, 2/28).
