Hampered by high cost, only resolute sports fans head to Rio

Tourists visit the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Wagner Meier / Getty Images

Some Chinese travel agencies have already sold out their World Cup-themed trips to Brazil a few days before the soccer tournament starts.

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The World Cup will last one month, from June 12 to July 13, and the tourism authority of Brazil predicts that 600,000 foreign travelers will visit the country during the period.

"The resources of the World Cup, such as game tickets and hotels, are scarce," said Tong Jun, marketing manager of Beijing UTour International Travel Service.

Tong said in April the agency launched several different travel packages, which feature game tickets, hotels and air tickets, for the World Cup, and sales results have been positive, though she declined to give more details.

"Sports tourism products are different from others," she said. "After all, the resource is rare, and it is a niche market targeting small groups."

The price of tourism products to Brazil is high due to the long distance to travel from China. Add in the World Cup, with its limited number of game tickets, and it becomes even more expensive, Tong said.

Trips including tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced at 80,000 yuan ($12,808), and others are about 70,000 yuan, she added.

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