Brazilian Officials Anticipate Nightly Hotel Rates Of $460 For 2014 World Cup

Brazilian officials said that a Rio hotel will cost on average $460 during next year's World Cup, double the price in Johannesburg and 50% more than in Berlin, "which hosted finals at the last two previous tournaments," according to the AFP. According to a report by the state tourism agency Embratur, in Johannesburg in '10, the average price of accommodation was $200 while in Berlin four years earlier it was $300. During the Confederations Cup in June, "a hotel room in the northeastern city of Salvador" cost $75 a night. But in July next year, "the price will jump" 583% to $509. In other World Cup host cities, increases in hotel rates of 200-350% "are also reported." Some 600,000 foreign tourists "are expected to flock to Brazil for the World Cup, 30 times more than during the Confederations Cup" (AFP, 8/15).