Belo Horizonte, host city at World Cup Brazil

01 Oct, 2013

Read in English below / Leia em português aqui

by Welligton Medeiros
Translation by Harriet Batey

Constructed as the federal capital in the late 19th century, Belo Horizonte is recognised for its economic potential, which attracts thousands of business tourists each year. The third industrial centre of the country, BH is also the doorway to cultural tourism in historical cities such as Ouro Preto, Mariana, Sabará, Congonhas and Caeté. A pleasant climate, beautiful landscapes, and an eclectic architecture complement the broad moasic on offer.

Challenges for Belo Horizonte from the 2014 World Cup

The main challenge of the city
Designed by the engineer and urban planner Aarão Reis to be the sta capital of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte was inaugurated in 1897. Today it is the sixth most populated city and one of the most important cultural, economic and industrial centres in the country. Grande (Greater) Belo Horizonte, comprising of 34 municipalities, is the third largest urban collective in Brazil, with 5.03 million inhabitants (IBGE/2008 estimates), and has the lowest unemployment rate (10.2%) of all the six largest metropolitan areas. In 2006, the GDP of Minas Gerais reached 214.8 billion, the third largest in Brazil. The municipal areas of Betim and Contagem reached a GDP od 62.6 billion reais in 2006, representing more than 80% of the GDP for the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte.
Minas Gerais State has diverse appeal for tourists, including historic towns, state and national parks with attractions for eco- and adventure tourism, or the water routes, with walks for those who want to relax and enjoy a stroll. In the state capital, internationally known for its beautiful architecture, tourist activity is directly related to trade fairs and events. However, the potential for buiness tourism could be better exploited.

The Minerão Stadium

Belo Horizonte is the only major city in the country whose top clubs do not have a mid-size stadium. Opened in 1965, the Governador Magalhães Pinto Stadium, better known as the Minerão, is owned by the state government and has a 81,000 capacity. Record attendence happened in 1997, when 132,800 spectators came to watch the match where Cruzeiro beat Vila Nova 1-0. Now renovated, it will reach the FIFA implemented conditions and support the sporting potential of the city, characterised by a paying audience capable of supporting the stadium in economic terms. Simply as an example, of the 57,000 tckets made available for the Brazil .v. Argentina match in June 2008, 52,500 were sold generating a total income of R$ 6.6million, equating to an average ticket price of R$ 125.75.
Belo Horizonte has a history of great crowds and high income at the Mineirão. But several changes are necessary to adapt the Mineirão to reach FIFA requirements, mostly related to problems with visibility and security. Reinforcement pillars and springs were installed to support the upper tiers, but they hinder the view from lower tiers. There are also score boards on the railings between the different supporter areas, which impairs visibility in various parts of the stadium.

Tourism

The 2014 World Cup justifies investments which will boost tourism infrastructure with the objective of increasing the length of time business tourists stay in the capital and to create conditions so that they return again. Looking towards this, the Minas Gerais State Department of Tourism (Setur) announced, in April 2009, the Business Tourism and Events Project, which relies on a US$ 5.6million investment agreed in 2008 by the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB).

Part of the money is intended to go towards building a data base to organise and unify the schedule for national and international events, so that they are evenly distributed throughout the year, thus balancing out hotel bookings in the capital and allowing for the expansion of such activities. The project also provides training within the sector and offers high quality tourist services at competitive prices. The idea is to make is so business tourists also go to enjoy the services available for leisure-tourism.
Amongst the challenges faced by Belo Horizonte in achieving this goal is the expansion of the areas hotel network. Setur data from 2007 shows that the capital’s hotel park is made up of 52 hotels ranging from two to five stars and 38 apartment-hotels, totalling 90 facilities which together provide 7,945 housing units, of which 34.4% are of four to five star standard. By the end of 2010, Belo Horizonte’s hospitality network must offer another 1,668 units.

Challenges and opportunities

Belo Horizonte has the ideal equipment structure for the football, being the opposite of other cities which want to build a new stadium. Preparing the stadium for the 2014 World Cup is not the biggest problem. The main challenge for Belo Horizonte in hosting the championship is the failures of its hotel network, in particular high quality hotels. There are investors interested in new hotel projects, but there are still doubts surrounding their economic sustainability. Urban mobility is also a big problem, as in many other large cities, transcending the 2014 World Cup, but the event must create work which supports Belo Horizonte for several years after 2014. Infrastructural investments should thus leave an important legacy for the city. The opportunity for redevelopment or revitalisation in delapidated areas (that have already happened or currently in process) must equate to improving accessibility and mobility. Positive impact will stem from the implementation of high or medium capacity transport systems.