Off the wire
• French president demands Russia stop raids backing Syrian gov't despite Moscow's clarification  • Brazil announces int'l partnership to produce Zika vaccine  • Owners of Oscar-winning film drop landmark case against Australian internet pirates  • Nepalese PM to visit India  • Chinese prestigious dramatist passes away  • Xinhua China news advisory -- Feb. 12  • Barnaby Joyce takes over as Australia's deputy PM  • 1st LD: Agreement on ceasefire, humanitarian aid reached in Syria support group talks  • Former PM calls on Australians to name and shame racism  • Aussie scientists play important role in discovery of Einstein's gravitational waves  
You are here: 　 Home

Rio Carnival remains lucrative despite Zika, economic distress

Xinhua, February 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

Despite the Zika virus and economic distress, the Rio Carnival holiday continues to be very lucrative, the state Tourism Secretariat said Thursday.

With more than 1 million tourists flocking into the city, the festival has raised 3 billion reais (753 million U.S. dollars) this year, according to the secretariat.

It noted that average occupation in Rio's hotels reached 85 percent this year, compared with the 83.8 percent in the same period in 2014.

Around 1 million people lined the streets for the classical Cordao do Bola Preta, the city's oldest bloco or street parties. The Sambadrome, where Rio's samba schools perform for several days, also attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists. Endi