Rio, December 29, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Syndicate of Hotels, Restaurants, Bars, and Similar Establishments in Rio de Janeiro is already commemorating the occupancy of hotels for New Year's. 70% of the reservations made for the period have already been confirmed.

"One needs only to go by the shore to perceive the number of tourists in the city," affirmed the president of the Syndicate, Alexandre Sampaio. For him the numbers confirm that Rio remains one of the cities most sought after by tourists at this time of year. "Some hotels are already offering special packages for those who were unable to make reservations," Sampaio said.

The sector's expectation is for around 500 thousand tourists to visit the city during the festivities. The big attraction is the traditional yearend fireworks display on Copacabana Beach in the Southern Zone of the city. This year the organizers expect approximately 2.5 million people to attend the event, which includes the detonation of 120 tons of fireworks and presentations of Brazilian popular music on 11 stages set up along the beach.

Sampaio informed that there will be 30% more fireworks this year on the eight rafts buoyed 360 meters out in the bay. The spectacle will present new designs and special effects and is expected to last 12 minutes. The firefall at the Copacabana Fort will be 400 meters long, one hundred more than for New Year's 2003. (DAS)