Rio, 9/5/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The average hotel occupancy rate in the city of Rio de Janeiro in July was 61.54%, up almost 10 percentage points compared to June. However, compared to July 2002, there was a slight drop (it was 69.08% in July 2002).

For the first six months of this year, the average occupancy rate is 62.5%, compared to 67.03% during the same period last year.

The numbers are based on a survey by the Rio Industrial Federation polling institution (Instituto Fecomércio-RJ) in association with the Rio Hotel Association (ABIH-RJ).

The survey found that the average stay of visitors to Rio in July was three days and that they spent on the average US$149 per day. Although July is a school vacation month in Brazil, the survey showed that most of the visitors came to Rio on business and made a reservation. It also showed that 66.33% of the visitors were from the Southeast region of Brazil, mainly São Paulo. As for foreign visitors, most of them came from Europe. (AB)