15 May 2014 – 5:49 AM
Nearly four million tourists are expected to visit Brazil during the World Cup, injecting $US3 billion into the economy, the country’s government says.
Brazil expects a total of 3.7 million tourists in the country during the World Cup, including nearly 2 million coming specifically to attend matches and fan-fests.
The government expects the visitors to provide an economic boost of $US3 billion ($A3.25 billion) to the country during the month-long tournament.
Foreign tourists could reach 600,000, with half of them arriving to watch matches and attend the fanfests.
Foreigners are expected to be bigger spenders than Brazilian tourists, spending on average $US2,500 each while in the country.
The government says it wants to use the World Cup to “win over” these fans and keep them coming to Brazil after the tournament ends.