DUBAI // The UAE football team may not have made it to the World Cup finals, but its big-spending fans are flying the flag for the country.
Tourists from the UAE have spent more in Brazil than those from any other Middle East country, says credit-card company Visa.
They have chalked up a total of more than US$1.1 million (Dh4m) on their Visa cards since the start of the tournament, putting them in 30th place on a global list compiled by Visa.
“The group stage of the 2014 World Cup has shown that international tourism was strong well beyond the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, as fans travelled throughout Brazil to support their teams,” said Ihab Ayoub, general manager of Middle East and North Africa at Visa.
“But what has been significant for us has been the enthusiasm shown by visitors from the region, despite not having a team competing.”
Travellers from the region spent $2.7m in the 12 host cities during the group stages of the World Cup.
That represents a spending increase of 419 per cent spent from the region’s tourists, compared with the same period last year when the Fifa Confederations Cup was being played in Brazil, and is well ahead of the global increase of 152 per cent.
The UAE’s 30th place on the global spenders list is followed by Saudi Arabia in 39th, with $607,000 spent, and Qatar in 53rd with $317,000.
“The fact that these games are bringing positive economic impact to regions of Brazil typically less visited by international travellers is another sign of success for the tournament overall,” said Mr Ayoub.
Visa analysed credit, debit and pre-paid card spending data from international travellers and found that some of the smaller Brazilian cities had seen huge increases in money spent, compared with the same period a year earlier.
Cuiaba had an increase of 963 per cent; Natal 856 per cent; Manaus 409 per cent; and Curitiba 167 per cent.
In total, Visa account spending during the group stages hit $188m, a 152 per cent year-on-year increase.
That was 141 per cent more than the $78m spent by all international fans at the Confederations Cup.
The highest spending day at this year’s World Cup so far was June 25, with $17.4m spent by travellers on the day Argentina edged out Nigeria in a 3-2 thriller, and Switzerland defeated Honduras 3-0.
France, Ecuador, Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina also played that day.
Visitors from the US topped the global spending table with $48.3m. The UK came second with $16m, France was third with $11.2m, and Mexico fourth with $10.2m.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
