RIO DE JANEIRO – This year’s Olympic Games comes with excess baggage from a tourism perspective, with many would-be visitors deterred by a steady stream of negative publicity.
Numbers of travelling fans are well below initial expectations for Rio’s summer spectacular, primarily thanks to the troubling trifecta of the Zika virus, political tumult and security concerns.
“There are less people than expected, yes,” said Joao Dematos, president of travel agency BACC Travel, which specializes in Brazilian tourist packages. “But that has opened up some great opportunities.”
USA TODAY Sports wrote last week that sponsors, athletes and regular tourists had abandoned their Rio plans in droves.