Why Rio 2016 may not bring the tourism boost Brazil hopes

A boost in tourism is meant to be one of the big bonuses of hosting the Olympics. There is never any shortage of pre-games rhetoric about the bounties – generally packaged as “Olympic legacies” – that the mega-event will bring hopeful cities and their governments. But Rio 2016, as with London 2012 and others before it, has shown that the reality rarely lives up to the promises. The ambitions were clear. Rio’s organising committee had the objective to increase visitors to Brazil during the games and to the end of September by as much as 82% – roughly 350,000 to 500,000 additional visitors. And Vinicius Lummertz, president of Brazil’s tourism board, hopes to leverage the increased visibility of Brazil to bring in more tourists in the long term, thanks to the “mega-exposure [of millions of TV viewers] from the games”. Logic would dictate that it’s a simple process. Sell all the event tickets, max out stadia with spectators and you’re rolling in it. Right? Rio 2016 has not had it so easy. The games have been a rollercoaster of challenges that have threatened its success. Issues of security at event venues, risks to visitor and athlete safety................