They may not have managed to win the trophy, but Brazil’s World Cup has been declared a success after attracting 70 per cent more visitors than expected.
A record 1.35 million visitors flocked to the South American country during the competition, from a total of 203 different countries.
Brazil had been expecting just 600,000 visitors during the run-up to the World Cup and for the competition itself.
But instead a daily average of 485,000 passengers passed through 21 airports in the 12 host cities – a higher number than is normally recorded during Carnival.
According to data from the Brazilian Forum of Hotel Operators, hotel occupancy was also at an all-time high. Statistics showed that 108,000 new daily bookings were registered during match days and the day before the games.
And it wasn’t just tourists who put Brazil on the map, the World Cup final was also the most talked about event in Facebook history.
During the whole competition, the social networking site recorded more than three billion interactions about the World Cup.
In total, around 3.6 billion people around the world watched the final, staged at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã stadium.
It is estimated the World Cup has contributed a total of £9 billion to the Brazilian economy, according to research from the Institute of Economic Research Foundation (FIPE) commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism.
