The Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics and Paralympics have faced difficult issues, and the PR in most cases could not be much worse. First, Brazil is right in the heart of the worst of the Zika virus scare area. And that scare has been bad enough that even some of the athletes are willing to walk away from a once every four years opportunity – and because the athletic life of a competitor could easily come to an end before another four years passes, that might mean the end of any Olympic dreams for those walking away. Still, to some, the risk is great enough that they are doing just that.
That one issue translates not just to individual dreams, but it also means that in some cases, the world’s best in any field of endeavor, may not be part of the competition. For an event that is all about the best competing against each other, that’s not a good result.
Top that with troubling issues such as venues not being ready, transportation to and from events outside the city not completed, and a city and area that ran out of funds to pay for even basic services like police, security, and health care … well, you can see why they face problems.
But there’s good news out of Brazil, all those problems translate to at least one promising result, attending this year’s Olympics will cost a lot less for those willing to look at it as an adventure worth taking.
Here are some of the ways visitors can make the trip worth their while.
The exchange rate offers an opportunity for those coming from America or other countries to “cash in.” The Brazilian economy has been in a slump recently, which means much more bang for the buck.
Ticket availability is another one. According to many locals, Brazilians tend to wait to buy tickets until they are almost to the date of an event. So more tickets will be available than what was the case in the 2012 London Olympics. Add that to the tanking economy, and even less of the locals are likely to buy tickets. If the events are not sold out, then it is also possible that ticket prices will drop, at least a little.
General vacation costs such as airfare, hotel stays, and meals while there are likely to be down. Though for airfare, if you haven’t booked yet, don’t go directly to Rio or it will cost you almost as much as an econo car. Instead, fly to Sao Paulo and then catch at puddle jumper flight from there to Rio – it will save you thousands of dollars per person.
And all of this, finally some good news for the Rio Olympic Committee. Costing less may ultimately translate to people spending more and when they leave feeling good about the events as well as the deals they got along the way.
David Firester, Ph.D.
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