The football match is throwing the city into chaos！ Brazilians are going crazy for "escaping the World Cup" travel packages

▲ The quadrennial FIFA World Cup draws global attention, even prompting travel to Brazil to watch the matches—but locals don’t necessarily think it’s the best time to stay at home. (Image / Sourced from Wikipedia)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The 2014 Brazil FIFA World Cup will begin on June 12. To attract people who "don't like football or oppose the World Cup," Brazilian tourism operators have launched various overseas travel packages themed "Escape the World Cup." Iara Mansur, a 36-year-old market research analyst, and her boyfriend both dislike football and prefer not to be around too much hustle and bustle. Coupled with the high cost of traveling within Brazil during the World Cup, they decided to purchase a discounted 20-day European tour package. During their trip, they also have no plans to watch any of the football matches broadcast on TV.

Beia Carvalho, a professional speaker who enjoys watching the World Cup, has also decided to travel to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, for a vacation due to concerns about potential unrest in host cities.

Marco Ferraz, president of the Brazilian Association of Travel Agencies (Braztoa), pointed out that the reason domestic tourism operators are offering more international travel packages during the World Cup is mainly because FIFA did not release match tickets this time for travel agencies to design domestic tour packages.

Ferraz believes the World Cup has not benefited Brazilian tourism operators. The online lottery system for ticket sales and the fact that matches are being held across 12 cities not only disperses tourists but also shortens their length of stay, creating challenges for travel agencies. They cannot arrange chartered flights or hotels, nor is there a need to hire local guides. (Source: Central News Agency)