MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Olympics organizers in Rio do Janeiro struggling with tickets, 50% remain unsold
Rio organizing committee spokesman Mario Andrada revealed that only about 47% of the 7.5 million tickets on offer have been sold so far. With five months to go before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian organizers are struggling to sell tickets for South America’s first games. The IOC president Thomas Bach said the locals will buy up tickets at the last minute.
On a day when Rio organizers provided reassurances over the Zika outbreak, venue delays, doping legislation, metro construction and other issues, Rio organizing committee spokesman Mario Andrada revealed that only about 47% of the 7.5 million tickets on offer have been sold so far.
The revenue from ticket sales stands at US$194 million, or 74% of total target, he said.
Tickets for “premier events” and the August 5 opening ceremony at the Maracanã Stadium are essentially sold out, Andrada said. Most tickets for the foreign market have been sold, he added, leaving domestic sales as the main priority.
“We are going to increase the ability for people to buy tickets,” Andrada said. “We plan to set up electronic ticket sales kiosks across the city.”
For the 2012 London Olympics, British organizers sold 8.2 million out of 8.5 million tickets. They raised 659 million pounds (nearly US$1 billion) in ticket sales from the Olympics and Paralympics.
Ticket prices for the Rio Olympics range from 40 Reals (US$10) to a high of 4,600 Reals (US$1,170) for the opening ceremony. The average ticket price is 70 Reals (US$18) or less.
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rules-
-
-
Read all commentsBrasileiro should buy the other 50%
Mar 05th, 2016 - 11:23 am 0this will keep all those nasty foreigners out.
I'll buy the tickets have already been sold.
Mar 05th, 2016 - 11:37 am 0To make sure that no idiot Saxon come to my land!
Get out, USA!
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”
Mar 05th, 2016 - 11:37 am 0(The saying is thought to have originated with Saint Bernard of Clairvaux who wrote (c. 1150), “L'enfer est plein de bonnes volontés ou désirs” (hell is full of good wishes or desires). An earlier saying occurs in Virgil's Aeneid: ”facilis descensus Averno (the descent to hell is easy)”.
How very fucking apt.
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!