Rock in Rio Boosts Holiday Rentals and Hotel Bookings in Rio

By Georgia Grimond, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Rock in Rio music festival, which will hold its sixth edition in Brazil in Barra de Tijuca from September 18th-27th, is causing a surge of interest in short-term rental properties, according to online travel company Trip Advisor. Searches on the site for the week of Rock in Rio are double the number than for the weeks before the event.

Rio registered among the ten most searched holiday destinations for the period in September according data collected by Trip Advisor on July 15th. On average in 2015, it has appeared at 29th on the list.

Searches for information on hotels in Rio during the week of the festival were 29 percent higher than for the same week in October. When looking at Brazil alone, the figure rises to seventy percent. The highest demand has come from Brazilians, followed by Americans and Argentinians.

Trip Advisor’s spokeswomen, Claudia Martinelli, said however that there are still an abundance of properties to choose from, with 1,400 short-term let properties listed on site and pointed to the popularity in choosing this kind of accommodation over a hotel.

“It’s a very different experience. You can get to know the place, go to the bakery, the grocers, wander through the neighborhood,” she said.

As the event is being held at the Athletes’ Park in Rock City in Barra da Tijuca, rental rates in the area are some of the highest short-term, along with the upmarket neighborhood of Leblon and Leme. For half the price, visitors can stay in other popular areas such as Flamengo, Santa Teresa and Botafogo. Hotel Urbano, the official travel agency for Rock in Rio, is also offering hotel, travel and ticket packages to fans.

Rock in Rio is one of the largest music festivals in the world. Started in Rio in 1985, it has since been held in Lisbon and Madrid under the same name. This year it returns to Rio, having been for the first time to Las Vegas in May. From 2016 onwards the event will alternate annually between Lisbon and Rio.

Running for seven nights over ten days, it attracts world-famous acts. This year, for example, Metallica and Slipknot are playing, as well as Elton John, Rod Stewart, Rihanna and Katy Perry and a number of Brazilian artists. At the last Rio edition in 2013, close to half of the audience came from outside Rio de Janeiro state, filling almost ninety percent of the city’s hotels.

Trip Advisor is watching demand for accommodation in Rio ahead of next year’s Olympic Games which will be held in the city. It has already announced that Rio de Janeiro is the most sought after destination in the world for accommodation rental in August next year.

Over 40,000 hotels rooms are required by the International Olympic Committee, most of which will be taken up by those involved with the Games, such as officials and athletes. However, a further 380,000 tourists are expected to visit the city stretching demand for hotel rooms and short-term rentals. In March Rio 2016 signed a deal with online rental company AirBnB to open up another 20,000 beds in the city.