Rio de Janeiro's Carnival

"Rio is adapting to become a national and international tourism hub."

In the lead up to Rio de Janeiro’s 2024 Carnival, the government has been making huge investments to ensure the festivities are a success. The Carnival attracts vast numbers of national and international tourists every year, a massive financial and social asset for the nation.“

For everyone Brazilian real invested in Rio tourism, it brings a third to fourfold return.” Says Ronnie Costa, president of Rio’s tourism board, Riotur.

This year, Rio is estimated to make an astronomically record-breaking high of 5.2 billion reais (846 million pounds) from tourism related activities this month. The state government has made their largest investment yet in preparations for the Carnival, at around 62.5 million. (10 million pounds)

Such a large infusion of capital has been invested with the hopes of improving infrastructure, security and mobility within the city. For instance, police presence will be increased in tourist hotspots, with an enforcement of more than 12,000 officers during the Carnival, increased by 5% from the previous year, in the aim to counter Rio’s supposed reputation of violent crime.“The city needs to enable decent infrastructure to receive all these tourists.” says Felipe Tavares,?chief economist at CNC. “Rio states are making investments to create a good, positive experience.”

Rio has poured 40.5 million reais (6.5 million pounds) into Samba schools, the clubs at the heart of the city’s beloved parades. These schools bring the vibrant dance culture of Rio to life and by investing in them, the artistic soul of Rio can be celebrated and reach more people, locals and tourists alike.“

When schools have more funding, they have the resources to invest in equipment, costumes and floats.” Describes Carlos Werneck, president of tourism group Visit Rio. “Tourists will see something nicer, tidier and more sophisticated, a better day to day experience.”

Furthermore, the state has also invested millions of reais into extending the Carnival’s celebrations beyond the usual five-day carnival period. This capital has helped to fund street parties that will continue in the weeks after the parade, allowing tourists a Carnival experience in Rio throughout the whole first quarter of the year.

Countless residents of Rio depend on the Carnival and the subsequent tourism, for their income. These recent investments have generated 50,000 new jobs in the city, predominantly supporting socially vulnerable groups from low-income neighborhoods. For street vendors, Carnival revenue is equivalent to an end of year bonus and also supplies an opportunity to pay off debts or save. Many street sellers even liken the Carnival to Christmas, for the boost to the economy is creates.?

This year, the large numbers being invested into the Carnival have already paid off in part as 15,000 street sellers have officially registered to be working during the parades and parties, a significant increase from last year’s 10,000 vendors.

“When we have such a large development in the Carnival and tourism, we see significant improvements within the region.” Says Tavares.?

He describes how Rio is not only becoming more professional in terms of the Carnival, but also the tourism industry as a whole. This can be seen in small things such as menus in two or even three different languages. It’s a small detail, but goes a long way in creating a welcoming, friendly and accommodating atmosphere for visitors. Tavares predicts that “Rio is adapting to become a national and international tourism hub.”

All the investments for the Carnival illustrate just how integral festivals and celebrations like this are to the economy, supporting entire cities and in turn hundreds and thousands of people. What can we learn from Rio’s determination to improve and expand upon the Carnival?

As investments are made, the positive impact of Carnival preparations can be felt in other aspects of life. Increased security allows tourists to feel safer, enhanced infrastructure and transport, as well as the inclusion of different languages ultimately creating a better Carnival experience for visitors, and a better city for locals.

It seems Rio is striving to become a destination where professional presentation meets the authentic soul of the nation. By putting samba schools and the Carnival at the heart of their framework and then by improving on supporting factors such as mobility, Rio has built a simple yet strikingly effective model for progress and success. How could other festivals and events adapt to do the same? ?

Written by Katie Wilson, EP Business in Hospitality