Flight searches to Brazil increasing in popularity

Rio de Janeiro

As the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil approaches, online shoppers from Europe and the United States are leading searches for flights to the host country, with a noticeable increase in Chinese users, according to leading global flight search website Tianxun.cn.

From January through April, flight searches for Brazil among Chinese users on the website increased by 354 percent from the same period of 2013. Most flight searches originated from Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Wuhan. Most Chinese flights to Brazil fly from those cities.

According to the website, Chinese travel agencies have offered customized tours for the Brazil World Cup, with prices ranging from 30,000 yuan ($4,800) to 300,000 yuan. Such tours are popular with professional soccer fan club members and wealthy clientele from Guangzhou and Zhejiang provinces.

Search results for flights to and within Brazil have also risen greatly in other countries, with such searches from Europeans increasing 206 percent from 2013.

The 10 locations topping the searches are Brazil, the United Kingdom, the US, Russia, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Australia and Columbia. All are participant countries in the World Cup, and prime contenders for the championship.

Visitors who have bought tickets via official channels will have access to multiple return trips to Brazil within three months under a special World Cup Visa, and will be exempt from visa fees.

In addition to the World Cup, the country also offers tourists picturesque scenery such as Amazon jungles.