On Sunday, 13 July 2014 Germany beat Argentina one-nil in extra time in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã to to win the 20th FIFA World Cup. It was Germany’s 4th title and, including qualifying, it had had to play 16 games to reach the final, winning 14 of them and drawing two.
8 July 2014
Semi-final 1: Brazil v Germany, Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, 17:00
9 July 2014
Semi-final 2: Argentina v Netherlands, Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 17:00
Total spend by international travelers on Visa accounts through the group stage of the World Cup has hit US$188 million. This represents a 152 percent increase year-over-year, and a 141 percent increase when compared to the US$78 million spent by travelers attending the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup during the same timeframe. The highest spending day in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil was June 25, when travelers spent US$17.4 million in one day.
Visitors from the United States, followed by the United Kingdom, France, and Mexico represented the largest overall tourist spend in Brazil. The most significant spending increases were seen from countries such as Australia (+835%);Colombia (+765%); Chile (+519%) and Mexico (+396%).
Visa Everywhere Travel Report for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, which analyzes travel data and spending through the use of Visa credit, has also found that some smaller Brazilian cities, which are hosting tournament games, realized some of the most significant increases in spending by international travelers.
Data through the group stage of the tournament, which includes opening day (12 June) through the close of the group stage (26 June), revealed triple-digit increases in spending, compared to the same period last year, in cities such as Natal (+851%); Cuiaba (+963%); Curitiba (+167%); and Manaus (+409%).
“The group stage of the World Cup has shown that international tourism was strong well beyond the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as fans traveled throughout Brazil to support their teams,” says Ricardo Fort, SVP Global Sponsorship Marketing, Visa Inc. “The fact that these games are bringing positive economic impact to regions of Brazil typically less visited by international travelers, is another sign of success for the tournament overall.”
With the end of the group stages of the 2014 World Cup on 26 June, four of the twelve host Brazilian cities will have completed their hosting duties for the tournament and will now be dimming the lights at their stadiums.
So a massive obrigado and thank you to the host cities of Cuiaba, Curitiba, Manaus and Natal for a job well done. You have done Brazil proud.
FIFA has posted a 360˚ Gigapix pic from the opening game between Brazil and Croatia in São Paulo on 12 June.
To access the photo CLICK HERE
Brasília’s public buildings and even bridges are bathed in the colours of the national Brazilian team in support of the World Cup.
A big thank you to all 150,000 plus people who have visited World Cup: The Guide and Brazil: The Guide over the last few months. We hit the 150,000 target on 3 June 2014 and could now fill the Maracanã twice over; or just the once going by the stadium’s capacity for the 1950 final. We do hope that at least some of you will have found the sites helpful and worthwhile.
If you need text versions of the sites when travelling or are off-line, we have produced two low cost Kindle versions that are available around the world from the respective Amazon sites.
To mark the opening on the World Cup on 12 June, Trafalgar Square in London will be hosting Brazil Day, a free festival celebrating Brazil’s culture and its passion for football. The event that runs from noon to 7 pm, is being organised by Brazil’s Ministry of Sport, Ministry of Culture and by the Embassy of Brazil in London, which is located in Trafalgar Square. It is also supported by the Mayor of London.
The event will include live music, DJs, dance lessons, capoeira and much more. The event, however, will not include the screening of the opening match between Brazil and Croatia that kicks off at 9 pm, but a football zone will offer games and activities for all ages, including an inflatable football pitch and a photo-op with a life-size picture of the Brazilian national team.
There will also be stalls selling typical Brazilian street-food and snacks, along with smoothies and soft drinks made from exotic Amazonian fruits.
The Embassy says that fans of all nations that want to get into the spirit are invited to wear the Brazilian national colours of yellow, green and blue.
It is now under 800 days until the opening of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on 5 August 2016. The 800 day barrier was crossed on 28 May 2014.
The Rio Olympics will run from 5 to 21 August 2016 and the Paralympic Games from 7 to 18 September 2016.
Brazil the Guide 