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High price of World Cup travel hits fans hard
Updated: 2014-01-14

Every football fanatic has a dream of being in the World Cup stadium for a live match. With the 2014 Brazil World Cup five months away, some Anhui travel agencies are working out World Cup travel routes. But prices vary from 75,000 yuan ($12,381) to 400,000 yuan ($66,032), which for many, are far too expensive.

One local agency plans to launch four products. The best option includes tickets to two semifinals, the finals, the closing ceremony and the awarding ceremony for 400,000 yuan ($66,032). The price includes tickets to the match, round-trip flight tickets, meals and accommodations. In addition to the match, tourists will also be visiting places like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

But even the lowest prices are scaring away many fans. For one with a monthly income of 5,000 yuan, one year of hard work is still not enough to pay for the cheapest trip, let alone the one costing 400,000 yuan, which is enough for a BMW or even a small apartment.

Last time the World Cup took place in South Africa, there were some routes available that cost at least twice as much as regular trips to South Africa. This time the particularly high price is due to the high cost of living in Brazil.

What about DIY trips? They might not be a good idea either.

For one thing, tickets for matches are not easily available. Also, flight tickets are still rather expensive, costing about 20,000 yuan ($3,301). Taking the higher-than-usual accommodation cost into consideration, a trip is expected to cost at least 40,000 yuan ($6,602).

One last tip for visitors for the World Cup: for security concerns, tourists are not advised to carry expensive objects or too much cash.

Edited by Michael Thai, Huang Pei