Notícias
Federal Support
Events expected to boost Rio economy
New Year and Carnival will have support from the federal government - Credit: Portal Planalto
Aiming to support the efforts to recover revenue for the state of Rio de Janeiro, the federal government announced on Sunday (24) a new programme called Rio de Janeiro a Janeiro (“Rio from January to January”), featuring a number of cultural, sports and business events to help the state’s economy.
Tourism accounts for 4% of Rio's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) while the creative economy adds 3.9%, making the two crucial pillars of the state economy, surpassed only by oil and gas. As such, the measure is essential to provide a much-needed boost to the economy in Rio de Janeiro, where the number of unemployed increased by 50% between 2015 and 2016.
The idea of Rio from January to January is to attract tourists to the state. The Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) estimates that a 20% increase in visitors will add R$ 6.1 billion to the state's economy and create 170,000 new jobs.
More than 100 events are planned under the programme, which will receive federal investments of R$ 150 million. Highlights include the New Year’s Eve celebration, Carnival, National Book Fair, Rio Open ATP, Rio Montreux Jazz festival, Brazilian Music Awards, Campus Party, Rio Design Week, Circuito Fashion Carioca and Curta Cinema Festival.
Another R$ 50 million will be invested in publicity for the events.
The portfolio of events was selected following five criteria defined by FGV: impacts on tourism, job and income creation, new investments, social inclusion and long-term sustainability.
Federal support will also come in the form of sponsorship by State-owned enterprises. The events currently selected concentrate investments of R$ 1 billion. Between 16 November and 15 December, a new call for applications will be opened by the Ministry of Culture to include more events in next year's calendar.
The project is also associated with actions to strengthen security in the state, which has been facing alarming cases of urban violence in its communities. The work of the Armed Forces in Rio de Janeiro should reinforce military and civilian policing. Another aspect is the promotion of social policies aimed at youth, such as the employment of young people in the hospitality sector and the promotion of inclusion initiatives.