Rio is expected to receive 150,000 tourists this weekend for Madonna’s concert on the beach, which is expected to generate R$300 million, according to government estimates; see the prices of food, drinks and souvenirs
RIO – “I want my share of these R$ 300 million that the city hall says Madonna It’s going to be a big deal in Rio,” says street vendor Moacir Santos, 47, in a rare pause between shouts to announce his “Madonna kit,” consisting of the queen of pop’s cap, T-shirt and fan, all for “just ” R$ 120, in Copacabanain the southern area of Rio, in the afternoon of this Friday 3.
On the eve of the long-awaited singer’s showwhich should bring around 1.5 million people to the beach this Saturday 4, the sidewalks of Rua Rodolfo Dantas, which connects the Cardeal Arcoverde metro station to the point on the beach where the stage that will receive the Madonna is located from 9.45 pm, they spent the day and much of the night filled with vendors.
As well as T-shirts, hats and fans (if purchased separately, for R$80, R$25 and R$30 respectively), towels (R$50) and sarongs (R$80) with photos of Madonna, horns and even CDs (you don’t remember them, dear reader?) by the singer (R$20). “Today alone I earned more than I earned in all of April,” exults Santos, the kit seller. “During Carnival you can earn money, but now things are better, people are more willing to spend”, he compares.
The Copacabana movement, comparable to that of New Year’s Eve, indicates an intense economic movement and gives arguments to Mayor Eduardo Paes (PSD), who invested 10 million reals from the public coffers in the event. There has been no shortage of criticism of this investment: on social media many have said that it is absurd for the Municipality to spend on entertainment when it could invest in hospitals, schools or public safety.
The mayor justifies this by citing hotel capacity, a record for this time of year, and movement at airports and bus stations, which saw a 30% increase in movement this weekend. Around 150 thousand tourists are expected in the city.
Former opponents in local political disputes, Paes and Marcelo Freixo, president of the Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion (Embratur), came together in the same speech: “Madonna’s show puts Rio and Brazil around the world, it will be This it is a theme all over the world. It is more or less R$ 300 million injected into the Rio economy. The tourism production chain is very democratic: it goes from the hotelier, from the restaurateur to the taxi driver, from Uber to the fellow seller. , Everyone benefits. Tourism today represents 8% of Brazil’s GDP, generating jobs and income,” he said in a video on social media.
Copacabana restaurants
Quoted by Freixo, restaurants in Copacabana are taking advantage of the movement but, according to the report’s research, this time they have not adjusted their prices, as invariably happens in the days before every New Year’s Eve. In self-service places on the streets near the show venue, a kilo of food ranges from R$59.99 to R$100, depending on the level of sophistication. “Until Thursday the 2nd, the movement in the restaurant had not changed. This Friday there were much more people, the neighborhood is crowded”, says Almir Pereira, owner of a bar on Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, about 400 meters from the stage, which serves food for R$59.99 per kilo.
Among the most sophisticated, the Churrascaria Palace, a few meters from the stage, offers all-you-can-eat meals for R$225. Also nearby, famous Cervantes, with a ham sandwich with pineapple for R$33, Galeto Sat’s with portions of heart of chicken for R$52, and Tasca Carvalho, where marinated sardines cost R$35.
Beer for R$10 and in-cabin kiosk from R$1,000
On the seafront, the cheapest can of beer offered to journalists by street vendors – Brahma or Antarctica – costs R$10. A can of Xeque Mate, a rum-based drink that was all the rage during Carnival, costs R$25 (during Carnival was R$20). Water starts at R$6 and 500ml of mate, R$10. Nothing different from the prices charged on a daily basis – and prices did not increase this Saturday morning – at least not for now.
“I’m selling well, this heat has helped me,” commented Márcio Seixas, 27, who lives in Brás de Pina, in the north, and went to Copacabana to try to earn extra income. “I work as a security guard, but I take advantage of my free time to earn extra money,” he said.
As happens on New Year’s Eve, even during this Saturday’s show the kiosks will become “boxes”, with food and drinks available, at prices that are anything but reasonable: in the four closest to the stage, the lowest price charged for a ticket it was R$1,000 – and they sold out.
Source: Terra
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