ELAÍZE FARIAS
Manaus (EFE) – The Amazonas State Tourism Company (Amazonastur) is encouraging the accommodation of tourists who will attend the World Cup games in Manaus, in motel rooms, luxury yachts and in residences. According to Amazonastur, the measure was taken because the 23,000 beds in the 107 hotels in the capital are insufficient to meet the demand of the 60,000 to 80,000 expected tourists.
According to Amazonastur, 80% of the hotel chain in Manaus is at full capacity. The tourism company says that the average daily rate for hotels is R$ 375.67. The alternative of placing cruise ships in the Port of Manaus to receive tourists was discarded by the government.
About the cruises, Amazonastur said that the season of the ships was until the month of April, that is, outside the period of the World Cup.
Oreni Braga, president of Amazonastur, told EFE that about 30 motels and 30 luxury yachts were selected in Manaus to receive tourists during the football championship. She states that the vessels have cabins, lounges, kitchen, bathrooms and leisure area. “With the motels and boats, we hope to add more than 900 beds available in Manaus,” said Oreni Braga.
According to the president of Amazonastur, the offer of alternative accommodation is nothing new in Brazil, especially in destinations such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais. “These cities already adopt this type of measure. But in Manaus, it is worth remembering that the project is valid. It won’t be permanent. Just to meet the demand of the Cup”, explained Oreni Braga to the EFE agency.
Residences are registered for tourists
The State Tourism Company is also registering houses for rent, in partnership with the Union of Realtors of the State of Amazonas. Prices are negotiated directly between the tenant and the homeowners. Oreni Braga says that, so far, 400 houses are registered. She said the homes are being inspected.
Tourists can obtain information about alternative accommodations on the website Visitamazonas and at the address created exclusively for the service, where the available motels are also being advertised.
On the website, the EFE report found that several properties are available for rent. They have a daily rate ranging from R$250 to R$400 (per person) in locations where the distance to the Arena da Amazônia stadium varies.
Asked about the perspective of tourism growth for Amazonas after the World Cup, Oreni Braga showed optimism.
“We believe, with certainty, that the Cup will boost tourism in Brazil and especially in Manaus. Here the market has been growing above the national average,” he said.
Oreni Braga acknowledged that businessmen in the hotel sector in Manaus did not invest in new ventures just to meet the World Cup’s demand.
“No new hotel built in the city was for the World Cup. They (entrepreneurs) did an economic feasibility study and realized that the market is good and has a promising future, but no entrepreneur in the field makes a temporary investment”, said the president of Amazonastur.
Of the 107 hotels in Manaus, 56 are part of the Brazilian Association of the Hotel Industry in Amazonas (ABIH). According to the association, 94% of the beds are reserved for 40 hotels for the period of the games in Manaus. The sub-headquarters will receive the teams of Italy, England, United States, Portugal, Croatia, Cameroon, Honduras and Switzerland.
FIFA’s staff, according to Roberto Bulbol, president of the association, will be staying at the Tropical Hotel, the largest in Manaus.
Asked what he thinks of alternative accommodation: motels, luxury yachts and residences, offered by Amazonastur, Bulbol said he did not want to comment. “I had disagreements on the matter a year ago,” he said.
He also declined to talk about the cruise season, which would take place in Manaus during the World Cup. “Ask Amazonastur, who can answer,” he said.
Jungle hotels did not attract World Cup tourists
According to Roberto Bulbol, in the so-called “jungle hotels”, resorts located around the Amazonian capital, there was no interest from tourists for accommodation during the World Cup period. He attributed the lack of tourist interest to the distance and high price of air tickets.
“The average stay of these visitors during the World Cup will be three or four days. But before the games, in the months leading up to the Cup, the number of tourists is not very high, not many people. In Manaus, most visitors come on business. A big event like this (Cup) attracts crowds, but people stay for a short time. When the games are over, the number will be small again”, said Roberto Bulbol.
The Amazon jungle hotel management consultant for more than 20 years, Ribamar Mendes, told the EFE agency that World Cup tourists were not attracted to the five large resorts because the teams will spend a short time in the capital.
“Portugal’s team has announced that it arrives to play and leaves after the game. So the fan will not remain here. That’s why the jungle hotels aren’t full and won’t stay,” said Ribamar Mendes.
The consultant also claims that the increase in rates has harmed the attraction of tourism for jungle hotels. “Companies increased tariffs by 30% in this period. They overvalued the World Cup event and there will be no tourist demand,” Ribamar Mendes told EFE.
Jungle hotels are the main attraction of lodging in the State of Amazonas, with luxurious and rustic accommodation at the same time. Houses close to treetops and leisure areas located in the middle of lakes and rivers, surrounded by native forest.
The partner-owner of one of the largest jungle hotels in Manaus, the Ariaú Tower, Ellen Honorato de Moraes, told EFE that there was no demand for tourists during the World Cup period. She said that shortly after the draw for the games, in December 2013, tour operators (professionals, who negotiate accommodation between travel agents) made reservations for apartments, but after three months they were not confirmed.
“We received many reservations, but none were honored. We were expecting a 100% growth in visits and there was no such response. The tourists we are going to receive are North Americans who have already booked. They are normal customers that we received in the period. Their coming has nothing to do with the Cup,” he said.
The Ariaú Tower has 150 apartments and 300 beds. With the current reform, the amount will reach 226 by June. Ellen says that if there was a demand for tourists during the World Cup, the number could reach 300 apartments.
“I talked to other jungle hoteliers and we saw that there was no demand to justify the construction of more apartments in Manaus. Unlike what happened in Fortaleza, where the hotels that Ariaú Tower has in the capital of Ceará are already sold out and we had to build 15 more,” she said.
For Ellen de Moraes, the tourist’s lack of interest in jungle hotels during the World Cup in Manaus occurs for two reasons: the high price of airline tickets in the period and the lack of “more commitment” to publicize and promote the Amazon in other regions. and abroad.
