Rio receives 730,000 tourists during Carnival
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Rio received a total of 730,000 domestic and foreign tourists during the just-ended five-day Carnival, the city's tourism company Riotur said on Wednesday.
The occupancy rate of hotels in the city reached 94 percent during Carnival, with a year-on-year increase of 84 percent, according to Riotur.
The sharp rise was partly attributed to the fact that Rio has been selected as the host city of the 2016 Olympics, which has boosted its international fame.
"Rio is fashionable since then and celebrities from all over the world have been coming to visit us, helping keep the media's interest in the city," said Antonio Pedro Figueira de Mello, the city's secretary of tourism.
Under the title of "the Happiest City in the World" and "the Best Global Gay Destination" in 2009, Rio has attracted many international stars. Celebrities such as U.S. singer Madonna, Hollywood socialite Paris Hilton and Scottish actor Gerard Butler spent Carnival in the city this year.
During the Carnival, which ran from Feb.12 to Feb.16, Rio also raked in an income of 528 million reais (US$283.8 million), up from its last year's earnings of 521 million reais or 280.1 million U.S. dollars.
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