Fifa World Cup 2014: Biggest GCC spenders in Brazil revealed

During the four-day opening period of the 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil (June 12-15, 2014),  GCC visitors spent more than $500,000 (Dh1.83 million) on their Visa accounts, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia making up 70 per cent of the total.

This is according to the Visa Everywhere Travel Report issued by the payments firm, which analyses travel data and cross border spend on all Visa products, including credit, debit and prepaid payment cards.

The global payments solutions provider said that this represented a five-fold increase over the same four-day period in 2013, and 47 per cent more when compared to the opening four-day period of the Confederations Cup (June 15-18, 2013).

The global attraction of the Fifa World Cup – and growing confidence and understanding of the convenience of electronic payment platforms – has combined to see the enormous increase in card usage from the GCC region, it noted in a media statement.

The GCC spending was part of a total spending of $27m (Dh99.17m) from global visitors to Brazil during the 4-day opening period of the tournament.

Visitors from the United States, followed by the United Kingdom, France, and Mexico represented the largest overall tourist spend in Brazil during the four-day period.  On Saturday, June 14, 2014, alone international travellers to Brazil spent more than $10.7m (Dh39.3m) using Visa products. This was the highest tourist spend day in the country in 2014.  

“These numbers reflect the significant impact that mega sporting events like the World Cup can have in boosting local commerce in host market economies,” said Ihab Ayoub, General Manager for Middle East and North Africa at Visa.

“This positive trend aligns with Brazil’s expectation that more than 600,000 international travellers may visit the country during this event – ultimately boosting the country’s economy including a significant number from the Middle East.”

Visitors spent the most in categories such as lodging and accommodation, which accounted for $5m (Dh18.36m), and in local restaurants at $2.5m (Dh9.18m) of the total international spend. The impact of GCC visitors reflects a combination of a huge passion for football in the region combined with direct flights to Brazil and a growing confidence in using cashless payments – especially in Saudi Arabia.

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